Norway Closes Embassy in Tehran over Security Concerns

The Iranian flag is seen flying on the flag pole of the British Embassy after students break into the British embassy and drop some documents paper outside, in Tehran, Iran, 29 November 2011. EPA/BGNES

Norway has closed its embassy in Tehran due to security concerns after Tuesday's attack on the British diplomatic mission in the city.

Norway's diplomatic staff are still in Tehran and no decision has been taken to evacuate them, Norwegian Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hilde Steinfeld has informed, as cited by The Jerusalem Post.

"The attack on the British embassy in Tehran today was completely unacceptable," Norway's Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store had declared Tuesday in an official statement, adding that it is the Iranian authorities' responsibility to protect the foreign diplomatic missions in the country and their staff.

Recently Great Britain and Iran entered into a diplomatic conflict, after the UK announced a full-scale embargo on financial transactions with the Islamic republic.

Iran responded Monday by issuing a two-weeks' notice for the British ambassador to leave the country.

Tensions between Iran and the West have been intensified since the International Atomic Energy Agency published a report suggesting it has grounds to believe that the Iranian nuclear program is not intended for peaceful purposes only, as the Iranian government argues.

This has provoked Israel to issue a statement that a military strike on Iran is "more likely" than before, which in turn resulted in a belligerent position by the Islamic republic.

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