UK condemns arrest of ambassador in Tehran

(Patria) -  The British Foreign Office confirmed that Iranian authorities briefly detained the country's ambassador in Tehran, condemning the detention as a "gross violation of international law".

"The arrest of our ambassador in Tehran without reason or explanation is a gross violation of international law," said British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in a statement. Noting that the Iranian government is at a crossroads, he added that it can either continue on the path to pariah status with all the political and economic isolation that entails, or take steps to reduce tensions and engage on a diplomatic path forward.

Earlier, the Tehran news agency Tasnim reported that British ambassador Rob Macaire was arrested in front of Amirkabir University and held in custody for several hours for inciting anti-government protesters.

Iranian police on Saturday dispersed students who were shouting "radical" slogans in Tehran at a rally organized in memory of the victims of the Ukrainian plane that Iran shot down "by mistake" on Wednesday, the Iranian news agency Fars reported.

Journalists from the French news agency Agence France-Presse reported from the scene that several hundred students gathered on Saturday evening in response to a call to pay tribute to the victims of the disaster in which all 176 passengers and crew members died, mostly Iranians and Canadians, some of whom had dual citizenship.

The rally at the prestigious Amirkabir University in Tehran turned into an outburst of anger. The crowd chanted slogans against "liars" and demanded prosecution of those responsible for the accident and those who, in their opinion, tried to cover it up.