Iran Arrests Eight UK Embassy Staff Members, Report

Clashes between supporters of defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi and Iranian security forces erupted in Tehran in June 20. Photo by BGNES

Eight local staff members of the British Embassy in Iran's capital Tehran have been arrested in connection with the country's post-election unrest.

The report comes Sunday from Iran's government-funded Press TV, CNN announced.

"They couldn't come to the office today", an official at the embassy only said, asked about the arrests of the local staffers.

The embassy's official response was that it had seen the reports, and was following up on them, a spokesman said.

"We have recently received a number of, sometimes confused, reports that British nationals or others with British connections have been detained. We continue to raise them with the Iranian authorities", the Foreign Office in London said.

"People with a connection to the UK have been arrested all week", a Foreign Office spokesman further added.

A week ago, Tehran expelled two British diplomats. London responded by kicking out two Iranian envoys.

Iran then recalled its ambassador to Britain, saying it would reconsider its diplomatic ties with the United Kingdom.

Withdrawing an ambassador is a very serious gesture in diplomatic circles, CNN commented.

 

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