Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has told Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi that the UK will “not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on UK soil”.<\/p>\n
The ministers met face-to-face at the UN General Assembly in New York City.<\/p>\n
The Foreign Office said Miliband spoke to his counterpart about “the UK’s unwavering resolve to combat threats from Iranian-linked groups in UK soil, including attacks on the British Jewish community”, and discussed war in the Middle East and a British couple detained in Iran.<\/p>\n
There was no immediate comment from Araghchi. The Islamic Republic News Agency reported the men met and “discussed bilateral ties and international developments during their talks”.<\/p>\n
Miliband’s comments follow an arson attack on four Jewish community ambulances <\/a>in Golders Green in March and other incidents.<\/p>\n The BBC understands that British intelligence chiefs were initially keeping an open mind as to whether the Iranian state or organisations working for it had a role in the Hatzola ambulance attack and other attacks against Jewish communities during 2026.<\/p>\n They later concluded that secret intelligence pointed to Iran or its proxies being involved in the attack.<\/p>\n In July, a small power plant in the UK was also shut down <\/a>due to a cyber attack, which the Telegraph reported , external<\/a>was carried out by hackers affiliated to the Iranian regime. <\/p>\n The Foreign Office said Miliband also spoke to his counterpart about the country’s war with the US, telling Araghchi that Iran should choose “de-escalation and diplomacy instead of prolonging the war” and stressing the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n In February, the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader.<\/p>\n Iran responded by launching strikes on Israel and neighbouring Gulf Arab states which host US military bases. It also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas shipments usually pass, impacting the global economy.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly that any deal would have to include an end to the US blockade stopping Iranian ships from using the waterway.<\/p>\n Responding to US President Donald Trump’s threat to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal is not reached soon, Pezeshkian said his country will never “bend the knee”<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying,” he said.<\/p>\n There was no immediate comment from the US, whose delegation walked out of the chamber at the start of Pezeshkian’s address.<\/p>\n