LONDON: Seven men were arrested on suspicion of assault after an “altercation” on Friday outside Iran’s embassy in London left two men injured, police said.

London’s Metropolitan Police banned protesters from gathering in the area in west London after seven men were arrested “on suspicion of grievous bodily harm”.

The Met said two people had been treated at the scene and taken to hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening. The fighting was thought to have broken out within the protesting group.

Protesters opposing Iran’s clerical leadership had gathered outside the embassy in west London since Sunday, hanging up flags from the nation’s ousted monarchy alongside some Israeli flags.

They support the exiled Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s pro-Western monarchy toppled by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

UK withdraws embassy staff from Tehran

Photos published by The Telegraph showed two men receiving medical attention on the road beside the encampment.

One more man was arrested on suspicion of breaching the ban on protest outside the embassy after the altercation.

Meanwhile, The UK said Friday it had withdrawn its embassy staff from Iran on the eighth day of the war with Israel, as the US mulled whether to enter the conflict.

“Due to the current security situation, we have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw our UK staff from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Published in Dawn, June 21th, 2025