UK denounces Iran's arrest of ambassador amid protest row

Britain has denounced the arrest of its ambassador to Iran as a “violation of international law” as a new diplomatic row broke out between London and Tehran over anti-government protests engulfing Iran.

Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel condemned the detention of Rob Macaire, according to a spokesman from the UK prime minister’s office who issued a statement after the two leaders spoke on Sunday.

Macaire was briefly held on Saturday as anti-government demonstrations broke out in Tehran over the shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner by Iranian forces. The ambassador was accused of taking part in the protests, a claim he denies.

On Sunday Iran’s foreign ministry said it had summoned Macaire to explain himself.