Iran’s Charge d’affaires to London, Ali Matinfar, has said that necessary measures have been taken to guarantee the security of Iranian expatriates during the presidential runoff in the UK, warning that any individuals attempting to disrupt the election process will face consequences.
According to The Iran Project, in an exclusive interview with IRNA on Thursday, Matinfar stated that the Islamic Republic is in contact with UK police, noting that British law enforcement agencies are committed to dealing with the people in case of any untoward incident during the runoff vote.
Matinfar also informed that the Iranian Embassy is collecting evidence of insults reported during the first round of the election and urged Iranian expats, who were insulted or threatened with, to report to the embassy through emails.
Referring to the meetings held with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office plus British diplomatic police, he stressed that the collected evidence will be provided to British authorities to ensure the security of Iranian citizens.
In the first round of Iranian presidential voting held on June 28, some opposed to the Islamic Republic gathered outside polling stations and tried create chaos and disrupt the voting process.
The Metropolitan Police Department has assured it would investigate the cases of assaulting Iranian voters in the British capital.
According to reports, police arrested seven rioters for causing disturbances in London, Manchester, and Birmingham.
Matinfar further noted that like the first round of the election, five polling booths will be set up in London, and the rest will be in the cities of Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, and Cardiff for Iranian expats to cast their ballots.
Iran’s presidential election headed to a runoff, after the results on June 28 showed no candidate could garner 50% votes, a threshold required for the majority.
Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili, the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the first round, will face off on July 5.