Posted on 06/28/2009 10:42:48 AM PDT by FromLori
Iran arrested nine local employees of the British Embassy in Tehran Saturday, drawing a terse response from the U.K. government and signaling an escalation of tensions between two countries with a history of difficult relations.
AFP/Getty Images Iranian riot policemen stood guard outside the British embassy in Tehran on June 15, 2009. Iranian media reported the arrests on Sunday, saying the employees had been detained for allegedly playing a role in post-election demonstrations in Tehran. Speaking Sunday during a visit to Greece, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said some of the nine who were arrested have been released, though he didn't say how many.
In Tehran, meanwhile, witnesses told the Associated Press that police have clashed with up to 3,000 protesters near a mosque. Witnesses said security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, and some demonstrators fought back, chanting "Where is my vote?" Some protesters claimed they suffered broken arms or legs. The reports could not immediately be independently verified because of tight restrictions imposed on journalists in Iran.
A U.K. Foreign Office spokeswoman on Sunday said some embassy staff were still being held, but she declined to say how many. She also declined to comment on the circumstances of their arrest.
"The United Kingdom is deeply concerned at the arrest and, in some cases, continued detention of some of our hard-working locally-engaged staff in Tehran. This is harassment and intimidation of a kind which is quite unacceptable," Mr. Miliband said Sunday during his visit to Greece. "The idea that the British Embassy is somehow behind the demonstrations and protests that have been taking place in Tehran in recent weeks is wholly without foundation. We have protested in strong terms, directly to the Iranian authorities, about the arrests that took place yesterday."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Iran Detains U.K. Embassy Workers Britain's foreign secretary described the detention as "harassment and intimidation." Obama's top political adviser didn't rule out U.S. engagement with the Iranian government. Ahmadinejad Chastises Obama Tehran Hard-Liners Seek to Show Dominance U.S. Sees Chance to Gain Sway in Mideast
Bowing to President Ahmadinejad is not a mid-east policy...
I hope Iran is ready for a withering volley of strongly worded letters.
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