UK demands Iran stop posting ‘sacrifice’ calls on embassy sites

 The foreign office says online activity calling on citizens to ‘give their lives’ for their country may be seen as inciting violence.

Iran launched the ‘Janfada’ campaign online and via SMS at the start of the US-Iran conflict, calling on citizens to help defend the country. (EPA Images pic)

LONDON:

 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 Feb 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.” - FMT