Story perspectives

UK Summons Iran Ambassador Over Telegram Call to Protest

4/29/2026

Summary

Story summary

Iran’s embassy in London used its Telegram channel on April 15 to urge Iranians in Britain to join the “Jan Fada” campaign.
The UK foreign office summoned Iran’s ambassador and, through Minister for Middle East Hamish Falconer, ordered the embassy to stop violence-encouraging messages that security experts say may breach United Kingdom’s National Security Act and be treated as foreign influence operations.
Australia’s federal police have opened a probe into similar posts.

History

Historical Context

The 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, where 52 Americans were held for 444 days until the Algiers Accords freed them on 20 January 1981, set a precedent for using diplomatic missions as bargaining tools. Decades later, Iran’s London embassy posted a Telegram on 15 April 2024 urging British Iranians to join the Jan Fada campaign, prompting investigations by the UK Foreign Office and Australian police.

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Story summary

Iran’s embassy in London used its Telegram channel on April 15 to urge Iranians in Britain to join the “Jan Fada” campaign.
The UK foreign office summoned Iran’s ambassador and, through Minister for Middle East Hamish Falconer, ordered the embassy to stop violence-encouraging messages that security experts say may breach United Kingdom’s National Security Act and be treated as foreign influence operations.
Australia’s federal police have opened a probe into similar posts.

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