Iran – Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Iran "is closely monitoring the Indian government's recent decisions on Jammu and Kashmir, and is carefully listening to the explanations provided by the Indian and Pakistani officials for the recent developments". "Iran expects India and Pakistan, as its regional friends and partners, to take effective steps to serve the interests of people of the region by adopting peaceful approaches and dialogue," he said in statements cited by Iran's Tasnim News Agency.[17] A large number of Iranian students held protest demonstrations outside the Indian embassy in Tehran on 8 August 2019 to denounce the Indian decision to scrap the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir.[18] Iranian officials on 15 August forcibly removed anti-India banners on so-called "Kashmir Solidarity day" from Pakistan's consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad. Calling such methods "undiplomatic tactics", Tehran told Islamabad in clear terms that putting such banners against a third country goes against diplomatic norms.[19][20]