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The British government has denounced the spate of recent executions and arrests in Iran, including the detention of a number of journalists over the past month, amid rising tensions between Tehran and London.

Foreign Office spokesman Alistair Burt said the journalists' arrests raised "serious questions about Iran's stated commitment to freedom of expression", adding that he was "disturbed" at the death penalties handed down to website developer Saeed Malekpour, blogger Vahid Asghari and website administrator Ahmad Reza Hashempour.

On Friday, the Iranian news network Press TV had its licence to broadcast in the United Kingdom revoked by communications watchdog Ofcom. The London-based channel, whose presenters include former MP George Galloway and Tony Blair's sister-in-law Lauren Booth, will go off the air on Friday.

In a Foreign Office statement, Burt called for an urgent review of all the execution and detention cases. "I am deeply concerned by a new wave of executions and arrests in Iran,” said Burt.

"There are reports that Iran has already executed around 50 people this year, some of them in grotesque public displays. This continues a shocking trend of excessive use of the death penalty that has been condemned by the United Nations.

"There has been a wave of ... >>>