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UK demands Iran stop posting 'sacrifice' calls on embassy sites
AFP | April 29, 2026 3:19 AM CST

Synopsis

Britain's foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador. The ministry demanded the embassy stop social media posts encouraging Iranians to sacrifice their lives for their country. Officials called the messages unacceptable and inflammatory. The embassy had urged citizens to join a 'self-sacrifice for the homeland' campaign. This campaign began during the US-Iran war. Millions have reportedly registered to defend Iran.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper
Britain's foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador on Tuesday and demanded the embassy stop posting messages on social networks urging Iranian citizens to "give their lives" for their country.

The Foreign Office slammed the "Iranian embassy's unacceptable and inflammatory comments on social media" in a statement.

UK Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, said the social media posts "were completely unacceptable".


The embassy "must cease any form of communications that could be interpreted as encouraging violence in the UK or internationally," he added.

A Persian message on the embassy's Telegram site, posted on April 15, called on "all brave and noble children of Iran" to participate in the "'Janfada' (self-sacrifice) for the homeland' campaign".

"Let us all, as one, be ready to give our lives. For it is better than yielding the country to the enemy," the message said.

Iranian citizens in the UK could now register to join the campaign via the embassy's consular services page, it added.

Iran launched the campaign, online as well as via SMS texts, at the start of the US-Iran war on February 28, urging Iranians to help protect the country.

The Persian word for self-sacrifice -- janfada -- became a trending hashtag on social media.

President Masoud Pezehskian wrote on X that "more than 14 million proud Iranians have so far registered to sacrifice their lives to defend Iran."


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