Iran summoned the British ambassador to Tehran to protest against "baseless accusations" and "illegal" sanctions by London.
The summons followed the UK's announcement of sanctions on Iranian officials, some of whom it claimed were involved in threats to kill British journalists and others it said were part of international criminal gangs linked to Tehran.
On Tuesday, the IRNA state news agency said, "Following the continuation of the British regime's accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, Simon Shercliff, the British ambassador in Tehran, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was informed of our country's strong protest."
Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, the director general of Western Europe at the Iranian foreign ministry, condemned the British government and claimed that its actions were another "destructive and unconstructive" act towards Iran.
An official said that it is a bitter historical irony that a country that is the founder and supporter of organized terrorist groups, drug trafficking, and criminal gangs wants to make accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its loyal and honest forces, who are at the forefront of fighting organized crimes.
Furthermore, the UK has accused Iranian-linked groups of being responsible for a deadly attack on US troops in Jordan.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron condemned the attacks by Iran-aligned groups against US forces and urged Iran to de-escalate in the region.
However, Iran rejected the claim that it was seeking an "expansion" of the tensions in the Middle East and that it was connected to the Jordan strike that killed three US service members.
Jordan Attack Kills 3 US Troops
On Sunday, Biden announced that three US troops had been killed and over 34 were injured following a drone attack on a US service base on the border of Jordan and Syria. Biden blamed Iranian-backed groups in Iraq for the deadly attack and vowed to respond to the attack.
The Iranian-backed umbrella organization Islamic Resistance claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack on Tower 22, a military outpost on the Jordanian-Syrian-Iraqi borders. The US did not attempt to hide its belief that Iran was ultimately responsible.
Iran's envoy to the UN denied Tehran's role in the attack in a statement released on Monday.
"Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the US base," the mission said, adding: "There is a conflict between US forces and resistance groups in the region, which reciprocate retaliatory attacks."
Four separate drone strikes had targeted three US bases, and the US was investigating why the T-22 base's security system had not put off the drone. The injured American service members suffered from traumatic brain injuries.
An official said the drone struck near the barracks early in the morning, explaining the high number of casualties.
