Prince Harry's Taliban killing claim weaponised as Iran tells UK to 'stop preaching' on human rights

Prince Harry's comments regarding the killing of 25 Taliban members have been exploited by Iran in an attempt to use them against the UK.

Iran has criticised the UK for "turning a blind eye" to what it labelled as "war crimes" committed by Prince Harry.

The Duke of Sussex's comments in his autobiography Spare that revealed how many people he had killed and referred to Taliban members as "chess pieces" sparked a backlash from the military community.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry tweeted: "The British regime’s uproar and the support of some European self-proclaimed defenders of human rights for London is only a sign of their evasion and violation of law.

"Britain’s encroachment on the national security of the Islamic republic of Iran has been met with a decisive response from the Iranian intelligence and Judiciary.

"The British regime, whose Royal Family member, sees the killing of 25 innocent people as removal of chess pieces and has no regrets over the issue, and those who turn a blind eye to this war crime, are in no position to preach others on human rights."

Prince Harry made the comments in his autobiography Spare, where he opened up about his two tours in Afghanistan.

The Duke wrote: "Most soldiers don't know exactly how many kills they have to their credit. Under battle conditions, you often fire indiscriminately.

"However, in the age of Apaches and laptops, everything I did in the course of two tours of duty was recorded and time-stamped.

"I could always tell exactly how many enemy combatants I had killed. And it seemed essential for me not to be afraid of that figure.

"Among the many things I learned in the Armed Forces, one of the most important was to be accountable for my own actions."

He continued: "So my number: twenty-five.

"When I found myself plunged in the heat and confusion of combat I didn't think of those 25 as people.

"They were chess pieces removed from the board. Bad people eliminated before they could kill good people."

On Saturday, Iran executed a British-Iranian national who once served as its deputy defence minister.

The UK condemned the case against Alireza Akbari, 61, as politically motivated.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak slammed the execution as "a callous and cowardly act carried out by a barbaric regime".