The Foreign Office has issued an urgent travel warning to Iran as the country is rocked by widespread protests against the Islamic theocratic regime.
The fresh warning, issued late on Wednesday night, advises against all travel to the Middle Eastern nation.
The grave notice reads: “FCDO advises against all travel to Iran. If you are a British national already in Iran, either resident or visitor, carefully consider your presence there and the risks you take by staying.
“British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention.
“Having a British passport or connections to the UK can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you.”
The urgent warning also cautioned that Britons who find themselves in trouble in Iran will receive “extremely limited” support from the Government.
It adds: “No face-to-face consular assistance will be possible in an emergency and the UK government will not be able to help you.”
The widespread civil unrest in the Islamic Republic is believed to have been sparked by the country’s economic woes, which as seen inflation skyrocket to more than 42 per cent and food prices surge by 72 per cent.
The FCDO’s warning issued on Wednesday advises against all travel to Iran
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GETTYBut public anger has been brewing for months over the regime’s corruption, civil rights abuses and critical energy shortages.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on Tuesday that at least 285 locations in 92 cities had seen Iranians take to the streets against the Islamic regime.
Scores of demonstrators have been heard chanting “death to the dictator” in reference to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The Ayatollah has remained largely absent from public view and has not appeared or spoken during the unrest.
The widespread civil unrest in the Islamic Republic is believed to have been sparked by the country’s economic woes
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REUTERSThe 86-year-old leader has been in his post since 1989, one decade on from the Islamic Revolution and the fall of the Shah.
According to one intelligence report, Mr Khamenei has developed a has developed a contingency plan to escape to Moscow should his security forces fail to crush ongoing demonstrations or begin to turn on him.
A Western intelligence agency’s psychological assessment characterised the Supreme Leader as “paranoid” and noted he has grown “weaker, both mentally and physically” following last year’s 12-day conflict with Israel.
During this time, it is said he sheltered in a bunker, fuelling what the assessment described as his “obsession with survival”.
Mr Khamenei has remained largely absent from public view amid the violent demonstrations
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REUTERSThe protests against his regime have turned deadly, with blood spilled on the streets of Iran.
At least 2,076 citizens have been arrested, and at least 36 people have been killed, according to HRANA,
The figure includes 34 demonstrators and two members of Iranian law enforcement.
On Sunday, three unnamed Iranian officials told the New York Times the civil unrest has caused Mr Khamenei’s regime to go into “survival mode” as it battles to avoid being toppled.
