British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has faced criticism after he was photographed shaking hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Miliband met Araghchi on Thursday as senior international officials gathered for the 81st UN General Assembly, with discussions reportedly focusing on the conflict in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz and security concerns involving Iranian-linked groups in Britain.
The photograph of the two ministers shaking hands triggered criticism from some British opposition politicians, who argued that the encounter risked giving legitimacy to the Iranian government.
Shadow Foreign Office Secretary Tom Tugendhat criticised the meeting, arguing that senior British ministers should not engage with Iranian representatives in such circumstances. He accused Tehran of threatening British interests and supporting armed groups in the region.
Another Conservative foreign affairs spokesperson, Alicia Kearns, also criticised the handshake in a post on X, demanding an explanation from Miliband and arguing that the image could be used by Tehran for propaganda purposes.
The British government, however, presented the meeting differently. The Foreign Office said Miliband used the discussions to deliver a series of warnings to Araghchi, including that Britain would not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on British soil by groups linked to Iran.
According to the department, Miliband also raised concerns about threats against the British Jewish community and called on Iran to pursue de-escalation and diplomacy rather than prolonging the ongoing conflict.
The two officials also discussed the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway for global energy supplies. Miliband stressed Britain’s support for freedom of navigation and called for the full reopening of the strait, whose disruption has contributed to wider concerns over global energy security and economic stability.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for Miliband to raise the case of British nationals Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who are being held in Iran. The Foreign Office said the secretary reiterated Britain’s demand for their immediate release and emphasised that their welfare remains a priority for the government.
The encounter comes amid increasingly strained relations between Britain and Iran. The Guardian reported that it was the first face-to-face meeting between British and Iranian foreign ministers in about a year and followed Britain’s decision in July to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.
The wider diplomatic environment has also been complicated by the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, as well as the continuing dispute over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials have been pressing for conditions to be met before the waterway is reopened, while Western governments have called for freedom of navigation and diplomatic engagement.
Despite the controversy surrounding the handshake, the British government’s account of the meeting indicates that the encounter was used to communicate disagreements and security demands directly to Tehran. The criticism from opposition politicians centred largely on the symbolism of the handshake and whether meeting Iranian officials was appropriate under the circumstances.
Miliband’s meeting with Araghchi therefore illustrates the competing pressures facing governments during periods of international conflict: maintaining diplomatic channels while simultaneously confronting security threats and publicly challenging the policies of the other side.
