British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the arrest of Britain's ambassador to Tehran, a spokesman from Johnson's office said in a statement issued after the two leaders spoke on Sunday.
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"On Iran, they discussed the tragic loss of life on the Ukraine International Airlines passenger jet. They condemned Iran's arrest of the UK Ambassador to Tehran as a violation of international law," the spokesman said.
"The leaders also discussed our shared interests in ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and reaffirmed their continued commitment to preserving the JCPOA [the Iran nuclear deal]."
Britain said its ambassador in Iran was briefly detained on Saturday, which Iranian media said was because he was inciting protests against the regime following the revelation that it had engaged in a cover up over the downing of a Ukrainian jetliner last week, which resulted in scores of Iranian dead.
The envoy said he attended a vigil for plane victims. Iran summoned him on Sunday, while state-affiliated media said members of the hardline Basij militia gathered outside the mission with signs demanding the "treacherous embassy" be shut.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned the arrest and said Iran "can continue its march towards pariah status ... or take steps to de-escalate tensions" with diplomacy.
