The United Kingdom on July 7 summoned Iran's chargé d'affaires, Tehran's most senior diplomat in the country, following the stabbing of an Iranian journalist in London.
The move came after two Romanian nationals were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for carrying out a knife attack on a journalist working for a Persian-language media outlet in London.
The two men, Nandito Badea, 21, and George Stana, 25, whom British prosecutors said acted as proxies for the Iranian government, were sentenced last week to eight and twelve years in prison, respectively, for their roles in the 2024 attack.
Although both men denied the charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, they were found guilty in June at Woolwich Crown Court in London.
In a statement, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the judge had concluded that the attack on the journalist had been carried out "in the interests of and on behalf of the Iranian state."
The statement added: "This attack forms part of a long-standing pattern of hostile activity by the Iranian intelligence services on UK soil. Iran's actions are aimed at undermining the United Kingdom's sovereignty and security and are completely unacceptable. These activities must cease immediately."
Pouria Zeraati Vokalaei, widely known as Pouria Zeraati, an Iranian-born journalist working for Iran International, was stabbed three times in the leg near his home in southwest London in March 2024.
British lawmakers stated last year that Iran represents a broad and significant threat to the United Kingdom.
Iran's embassy in London dismissed the allegations as "baseless, politically motivated, and hostile." The embassy did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment on the British government's latest action.
