Iran summons European ambassadors over support for protests

Iran on Monday summoned the ambassadors of Britain, Germany, Italy and France over what it described as their countries' support for recent protests inside the country, according to Iranian media.

The Foreign Ministry invited the envoys to Tehran and presented video footage that Iranian officials said showed acts of violence during the unrest, stressing that such actions went beyond peaceful demonstrations and amounted to organized sabotage, the state broadcaster IRIB reported.

Iranian officials asked the four ambassadors to convey the footage directly to their respective foreign ministries and called on their governments to withdraw official statements backing the protesters.

Tehran said any political or media support for the protests constitutes "unacceptable interference" in Iran's internal affairs and national security.

The summon follows demonstrations held outside Iran, including a rally in London where a protester replaced Iran's national flag at Tehran's embassy with the emblem of the former monarchy, symbolized by the lion and sun.

Iran has been rocked by protests since Dec. 28 at Tehran's Grand Bazaar, because of the sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions. Demonstrations later spread to several cities.

There are no official casualty figures, but the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based rights group, estimates that the death toll has reached at least 544, including both security forces and protesters, with over 1,000 injured.

HRANA also reported that at least 10,681 people have been detained across protests in 585 locations nationwide, including 186 cities in all 31 provinces.