UK Envoy Plans Iran Departure Amid Diplomatic Tensions
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, European ambassadors stationed in Tehran convened at the residence of the French ambassador on Monday afternoon, July 20, 2026, at the invitation of the French envoy. The gathering, attended by the deputy ambassador of South Korea, a senior New Zealand diplomat, and the Japanese ambassador, saw the French ambassador criticize Iran‘s action of briefly detaining two of his diplomats and seek support from the diplomatic community for the French embassy.
The British chargé d’affaires expressed support for the French ambassador’s position and stated his intention to depart Iran within the upcoming days. The British envoy emphasized that the United States expects its partners to cooperate in applying political pressure against Iran. However, several ambassadors openly opposed this proposition.
The French ambassador humorously remarked, “It seems our British friends anticipate a strong Iranian reaction to the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization, and thus they wish to depart discreetly for a period, especially since it is August and many embassy staff would be taking summer holidays anyway.”
The French ambassador further added, “What I can do is publicize the departure of the two diplomats previously detained by Iran, who were already scheduled to leave. Two of our other diplomats were also due to go on leave on July 29th, and we can arrange for them to leave a little earlier.”
The German ambassador stated, “I am scheduled to present my credentials to the President of Iran on Wednesday, and therefore, our departure at this juncture would not be advisable.”
On the sidelines of this gathering, the German ambassador, in a conversation with an ambassador from Eastern Europe, expressed dissatisfaction with the British ambassador’s “dictatorial” suggestion, labeling the action as “childish.” The German ambassador believed that Britain was preemptively acting, aware of Iran’s plans to expel several British diplomats due to Britain’s move to designate the IRGC as a threat to national security.
