He was accused of “inciting” the protesters in front of Amir Kabir University.

The British ambassador is to be summoned on Sunday for further explanations due to his presence in Tehran unrest.

On Saturday, a group of students had gathered inside the university to voice their protest after Iran officially announced the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane by mistake on Wednesday morning.

The Armed Force General Staff said the air defense unintentionally shot down the passenger plane amid the highest level of readiness because of a possible military strike by the U.S.

Iran has said those responsible for this “disaster” will be brought to justice.

Earlier, the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces announced that the country’s air defense unintentionally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane on January 8 amid the highest level of readiness because of a possible military attack by the US.

Later, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei ordered the Iranian Armed Forces to hold an inquiry about the faults and shortcomings that resulted in the unintentional downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane by the air defense.

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According to Iranian Foreign Ministry statement, as the ambassador appeared before the Foreign Ministry, Director of the Third Department of Western Europe described the UK move as unacceptable, and called for the immediate release of the oil tanker, given that it has been seized at the request of the US based on the information currently available.

Pointing to the fact that the oil tanker was sailing in the international waters, the Iranian diplomat described the UK Navy’s measure as being tantamount to maritime banditry and stressed that Britain has no right to impose its own unilateral sanctions or those of the European Union in an extraterritorial manner against the other countries.

This is the very bullying policy of the US, about which the European countries have been always protesting, he added.

In the meeting, the UK ambassador was provided with the documentation about the oil tanker and its cargo indicating the ship’s completely legal movement.

It was also emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran will be employing all its political and legal capacities to secure the release of the vessel and uphold its rights.

The UK ambassador said he will immediately convey the protest to London, stressing that the UK does not follow the unilateral US sanctions against Iran.

Later in the day, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Moussavi said, “We declared to the ambassador that this move amounts to strange unconventionality, because the sanctions that they have announced are not based on the Security Council [resolutions] and the Islamic Republic of Iran does not accept this measure (seizure of the tanker).”

The Iranian diplomat further stated that the Spanish Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the move was made at the request of the US and that the seizure amounted to “implementation of a type of extraterritorial sanctions despite the fact that the European Union has invariably been against such bans.”

Moussavi said that Iran denounces the seizure as “a destructive step,” which contributes to further escalation in regional tensions.

Acting Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell also said on Thursday that Gibraltar detained the supertanker Grace 1 after a request by the United States to Britain.

Borrell was quoted by Reuters as saying that Spain was looking into the seizure of the ship and how it may affect Spanish sovereignty as it appears to have happened in Spanish waters.

Spain does not recognize the waters around Gibraltar as British.

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In a late Saturday meeting with the British ambassador, Assistant Foreign Minister for Europe Mahmoud Barimani conveyed Tehran’s strong protest to the British government’s “unfounded allegations” and “unacceptable” anti-Iran stances.

The Iranian official said the accusations have been levelled without any proof, saying such remarks by Hunt are in line with Washington’s position.

“In the [closed-door] meeting of the UN Security Council last Thursday, no one but the UK accepted the unsubstantiated accusation levelled by Washington,” Barimani pointed out, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

“Even many well-known media outlets rejected the claim by America and Britain, citing statements by the crew and authorities at the company which own the tankers,” he said.

The Iranian official demanded an explanation from the British side for the accusations and called on the UK to rectify its position.

“The popular reactions against Britain emanate from such approaches adopted by this country in support of American officials’ unfounded allegations about different issues, including the issue mentioned above,” he stated.

He urged the British government to adopt realistic stances in conformity with the realities of the policies adopted by Iran and the need for London to revisit its approach.

The British ambassador, in return, said he would immediately inform London of Tehran’s stance.

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