LONDON: Seven men were arrested on suspicion of assault after an altercation outside Iran’s embassy in west London on Friday (Jun 20) left two people injured, police said.
The Metropolitan Police said the men were detained “on suspicion of grievous bodily harm” and that two individuals were treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
The fight is understood to have broken out among members of a group of protestors.
Demonstrators opposing Iran’s clerical leadership have been staging protests outside the embassy since Sunday. The group displayed flags associated with Iran’s ousted monarchy alongside Israeli flags.
The demonstrators support Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whose pro-Western regime was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Photographs published by British media showed two injured men receiving medical attention on the pavement beside the protest encampment.
Following the incident, the police imposed a ban on further protests in the vicinity of the embassy. One additional man was arrested for allegedly breaching the ban.
The arrests came as Iran and Israel continued to exchange fire eight days into their ongoing conflict, while the United States weighed potential involvement.
Top European diplomats, including Britain’s foreign secretary, have gathered in Geneva to meet with Iran’s foreign minister for talks focused on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Some Iranians living in Europe see the war as an opportunity to challenge the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has long faced accusations of human rights violations and harsh crackdowns on dissent.
