The Netherlands' foreign minister has recalled his country's ambassador to Iran after Tehran expelled two diplomats from the Dutch embassy amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a letter to lawmakers Monday that he told the Iranian ambassador last month that the expulsions were "unacceptable" and "negative for the bilateral relationship" between the two countries.

The Dutch government last year expelled two Iranians due to suspicions that Tehran was involved in the assassinations in the Netherlands of two Dutch-Iranian citizens.