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Iranian Foreign Ministry invites British envoy over photo in front of Russian embassy

Simon Shercliff, in turn, assured the Iranian side that there was no ill will behind the move as the two ambassadors had only sought to recall the British-Russian alliance against Hitler’s Germany in World War II

TEHRAN, August 12. /TASS/. The Iranian Foreign Ministry invited British Ambassador Simon Shercliff over his photo with Russian counterpart Levan Dzhagaryan in front of the historic building of the Soviet embassy in Tehran, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"Following the publication of the photo, <...> the British ambassador was invited to the Foreign Ministry, where he was told that this inappropriate move was harmful to the country, as well as the to the national feelings and pride of the Iranian people," the statement reads.

The British envoy, in turn, assured the Iranian side that there was no ill will behind the move as the two ambassadors had only sought to recall the British-Russian alliance against Hitler’s Germany in World War II.

On August 11, the Russian embassy posted a photo taken during a meeting between the Russian and British ambassadors, which showed the two sitting in front of the building that had hosted the Tehran Conference.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the photo as inappropriate. After that, the Russian ambassador to Iran was invited to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

The Soviet Union and the United Kingdom launched their joint Operation Countenance in August 1941, taking control of Iran’s territory. December 1, 1943, marked the end of the Tehran Conference that involved the leaders of the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom - Joseph Stalin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. The event took place at the Soviet embassy.

According to Tehran, Iran was neutral in World War II and was embroiled in military actions because of Operation Countenance. As a result, Tehran lost its independence for the duration of the military activities after the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom shared control of the country’s security situation.

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