From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Iran denies involvement in reported plot to attack Israeli embassy in London
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denies media reports that a group of Iranian men arrested in the United Kingdom over the weekend were involved in a plot to attack the Israeli Embassy in west London.
“Iran in no uncertain terms categorically rejects any involvement in such actions and confirms that we have not been informed of any allegations via proper diplomatic channels,” Araghchi writes on X.
We are seeing stories in the media that Iranian nationals are allegedly involved in a supposed plot to target the Israeli embassy in London.
Iran in no uncertain terms categorically rejects any involvement in such actions and confirms that we have not been informed of any…
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 7, 2025
His comments come after an unsourced report by The Times yesterday that five of the eight Iranians arrested were planning a terrorist attack on the embassy building in Kensington, west London, while the other three men were arrested under the National Security Act over allegations of working for Iran.
“Iran has urged the UK to engage so that we may assist any probe into credible allegations. Timing and lack of engagement suggest that something is amiss,” Araghchi continues.
He also seems to suggest that Israel may be behind it all.
“There is a history of third parties bent on derailing diplomacy and provoking escalation resorting to desperate measures, including false flag operations,” he says, adding that “Iran stands ready to engage to shed light on what has truly transpired, and we reiterate that UK authorities should afford our citizens due process.”
Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister Alireza Yousefi yesterday called for immediate clarification on the arrests and for consular access to the detainees, criticizing what he called a “habit” among British politicians of making “baseless and undocumented claims,” and warned that such rhetoric only deepens historical distrust between the two nations.
Agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.