The director general of the Western Europe Department of the Iranian Foreign Ministry delivered to Shercliff Iran's protest against the UK's "acts of sabotage against the Islamic republic of Iran's national security," the ministry said in a statement on its website.

The meeting came as former Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Alireza Akbari, who held dual Iranian-British nationality, was executed on Saturday on the charge of "espionage for the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)."

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Saturday Britain would temporarily withdraw its ambassador from Iran following the execution of Akbari and was considering what further action to take against Tehran.