Protestors held a major rally outside Downing Street over the government's "continued silence" over Iran.

Barnet's British-Iranian community protested in London and sent a letter to the Prime Minister, urging her to condemn crackdowns in anti-regime protests in Iran and the killing of protesters.

The letter says the government's "continued silence and inaction will place the UK on the wrong side of history" and was sent on behalf of 40 Iranian associations across the UK.

Laila Jazayeri, director of the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK, from Barnet, said: "The Anglo-Iranian communities are angry that our government here is still keen too pursue the 'appeasement policy' towards a fundamentalist fascist regime for economic interests.

"This is a regime that has executed 130,000 political prisoners so far. While Iranian youth and our lived ones are being slaughtered in streets of Iran, the Prime Minister has chosen to stand by the ruling dictatorship in Iran and not the people who are only crying for freedom.

"The beginning of 2018 is the end of this ruthless regime. Iranian people both inside and outside Iran will never forget those who stood by the people and those who sided with the regime."

MP for Chipping Barnet, Theresa Villiers, has joined the call to raise human rights concerns with the Iranian government.

She said: "Barnet has a flourishing British Iranian community and I know that they will have been following recent events in Iran closely. I have been working with my British Iranian constituents to highlight the case for reform and change in Iran.

"The government there has a shocking record on human rights. I fully support the right of the Iranian people to protest peacefully. I condemn the violent and excessive response we have seen from the Iranian authorities to recent protests.

"In Parliament, I have called on the UK government to raise human rights concerns with the Iranian government. It is also important that UK Ministers use the UN and other international fora to call for justice and freedom for the people of Iran."

A spokesman from Downing Street has said the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary are watching events in Iran closely and call on the Iranian government to permit meaningful debate.

The spokesman said: "We take this issue extremely seriously. Everyone should have the right to demonstrate peacefully within the law. We call on all concerned to refrain from violence.

"The foreign secretary has issued statements and been very clear when setting out the UK Government’s position."