A deputy foreign minister called on Britain to observe the principle of mutual respect, in protest over recent remarks by London's UN envoy Matthew Rycroft who accused the Islamic Republic of destabilizing the region.
"The progress in Iran-UK relations must be within the framework of mutual interests and reciprocal respect," Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in a meeting with British deputy foreign minister for the Middle East and Africa, Tobias Ellwood, on Friday, IRNA reported.
Seeking to reassure the Iranian side, Ellwood vowed that his side would take measures to clear up what he said were "misunderstandings".
Rycroft hailed Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal that curbed its disputed nuclear work in return for sanctions relief but criticized it for allegedly supplying arms to Lebanon's Hezbollah and the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"Away from the nuclear file, Iran continues to play a destabilizing role in the region. This is most clearly seen in Syria … Iran continues to provide substantial military and financial support to Hezbollah and the Syrian regime," Rycroft alleged in a statement to the United Nations on Wednesday.
Iran and Hezbollah have been backing Syria in its fight against a host of armed insurgent groups seeking to dislodge Assad. Rycroft, according to the British government's website, called for new sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its missile activities.
"In addition, we remain concerned by Iran's ballistic missile program and we urge all member states to continue to enforce the sanctions regime on ballistic missile technology, and to act on and report all suspected violations."
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