Britain summons Iranian diplomat over protests crackdown

The protests have entered their third week since Mahsa Amini was pronounced dead on September 16, days after she was detained for allegedly breaching the country's strict Islamic dress code.
London: Britain's Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned Iran's most senior diplomat in London over Tehran's crackdown on protests over the death of Mahsa Amini following her detention by the morality police.
The protests have entered their third week since Amini, 22, was pronounced dead on September 16, days after she was detained for allegedly breaching the country's strict Islamic dress code.
Foreign Minister James Cleverly on Monday said he had instructed the Foreign Office to summon Mehdi Hosseini Matin.
"The violence levelled at protesters in Iran by the security forces is truly shocking," Cleverly said.
"Today we have made our view clear to the Iranian authorities -- instead of blaming external actors for the unrest, they should take responsibility for their actions and listen to the concerns of their people.
"We will continue to work with our partners to hold the Iranian authorities to account for their flagrant human rights violations."
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday accused arch-foes the United States and Israel of fomenting the wave of nationwide unrest sparked by outrage over the death.
Anger over Amini's death has sparked the biggest wave of protests to rock the Islamic republic in almost three years, with security forces in Tehran cracking down on hundreds of university students on Sunday night.
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