Britain Demands Release of Embassy Employees in Iran

[GaryC 7]

Britain Demands Release of Embassy Employees in Iran

Britain's foreign secretary says the government is "deeply concerned" at the arrest and detention of British Embassy employees in Tehran and is demanding their release.

David Miliband, who is on the Greek island of Corfu for a foreign ministers' meeting, said Britain has protested to the Iranian authorities about the arrests, which he said occurred Saturday.

The foreign secretary described the detentions as "harassment and intimidation of a kind that is quite unacceptable."

"These are hardworking diplomatic staff. The idea that the British Embassy is somehow behind the demonstrations and protests that have been taking place in Tehran. ... is wholly without foundation."

Miliband said some of the employees had been released following their detention, but that others continued to be held.

Iranian media reported Sunday that authorities detained eight local employees of the British Embassy for an alleged role in post-election protests, signaling a hardening of Iran's stance toward the West.

Iran has accused the West of stoking unrest following a bitterly disputed June 12 presidential election, singling out Britain and the U.S. for alleged meddling. Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has alleged massive fraud, and claims he is the rightful winner.

The semi-official Fars news agency reported Sunday that eight local employees of the British Embassy in Tehran were detained. The eight were suspected of having played a "significant role" in the recent unrest, Fars said in a report also cited by Iran's English-language, state-run Press TV.

The reports, which could not be confirmed independently, gave no further details.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, meanwhile, slammed "interfering statements" Sunday made by Western officials following the election, state media reported.

"If the (Iranian) nation and officials are unanimous and united, then the temptations of international ill-wishers and interfering and cruel politicians would no longer have an impact," Khamenei said.

A spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign Office said the British government is looking into the Iranian reports. "We're not able to say any more at this stage, because the situation is obviously quite sensitive," the spokeswoman said on customary condition of anonymity.

Iran's government has tried to discredit opposition supporters by alleging they have been directed by the West. Britain, as a former colonial power in the region, has been a prominent target. The British have also drawn fire because of the BBC's prominent role as trusted broadcaster in Farsi inside Iran.

Last week, Iran expelled two British diplomats, and Britain responded in kind. Iran has also said it's considering downgrading diplomatic ties with Britain.

On Friday, a senior Iranian cleric, Ahmed Khatami, lashed out at Britain in a nationally televised sermon. "In this unrest, Britons have behaved very mischievously and it is fair to add the slogan of 'down with England' to the slogan of 'down with USA,"' he said.

The U.S. and Europe have become increasingly vocal about their condemnation of Iran's harsh crackdown. Iran's leaders have pushed back with angry rhetoric, and the confrontation appears to be dashing hopes for a new dialogue, as initially envisioned by President Barack Obama when he took office.

Iran's rulers have unleashed club-wielding militiamen to crush street protests and arrested hundreds of journalists, students and activists. A special court is to try protesters, and Khatami demanded harsh sentences, including the death penalty, for those found guilty.

Despite the clampdown, Mousavi signaled he is not dropping his political challenge. In a new statement, he insisted on a repeat of the election and rejected a partial recount being proposed by the government. Still, Mousavi's challenge seemed largely aimed at maintaining some role as an opposition figure.

The latest statement by Mousavi, who is increasingly isolated in the past week, appeared Sunday on Ghalamnews, a Web site run by supporters. Mousavi-related Web sites have frequently been blocked by the government, and one was shut down by hackers last week.

Iran's top electoral body, the 12-member Guardian Council, has proposed recounting 10 percent of the votes. On Friday, the council offered to bring in six more political figures to oversee a partial recount, presumably to give the effort greater legitimacy in the eyes of the challengers.

However, Mousavi reiterated his demand for nullification as "the most suitable solution to restore public confidence." He called for independent arbiters to settle the dispute.

Another defeated candidate, Mahdi Karroubi, also expressed doubt that a fair review is possible.

"How is it possible to answer controversies through counting some ballots?" he wrote in a letter to the Guardian Council, published Sunday in his newspaper, Etemad-e-Melli.

A third candidate, Mohsen Rezaei, said he would only send a representative to the council, for observation of a re-count, if the other two candidates did the same.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529297,00.html

[Otto 83]

Deja vu all over again...

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Nice act of a "civilized" society.

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

I wish western nations would put sanctions on Iran's oil exports but alas we are greedy for oil. That is the one thing we could do to help topple the regime within a few years time.

[Otto 83]

Gee.... couldn't see this coming...

Edited June 28, 2009 by Otto und Karin

[scandal 951]

Gee.... couldn't see this coming...

Oh, but of course Iran is a responsible nation that would never harm a fly, let alone take embassy staff hostage (how quickly are forgotten 52 Americans held for 444 days by this regime), so of course they can be entrusted with nuclear weapons, right?

Don't believe me? Here's what I read on a VJ thread just a few days ago, so it must be true!

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=3049726

why is this a big deal though? what aggressive action has the iranian republic ever taken against the us in the last 25 years? even if they acquired nuclear capabilities, there's no reason in the world to think they'd ever use them.

[HAL 9000 96]

Here's hoping they get out soon.

[alienlovechild 75]

Oh, but of course Iran is a responsible nation that would never harm a fly, let alone take embassy staff hostage (how quickly are forgotten 52 Americans held for 444 days by this regime), so of course they can be entrusted with nuclear weapons, right?

You forgot to add there's some indication Iran has been funneling weapons into Iraq to kill Iraqis and Americans/allies.

[GaryC 7]

Gee.... couldn't see this coming...

Oh, but of course Iran is a responsible nation that would never harm a fly, let alone take embassy staff hostage (how quickly are forgotten 52 Americans held for 444 days by this regime), so of course they can be entrusted with nuclear weapons, right?

Don't believe me? Here's what I read on a VJ thread just a few days ago, so it must be true!

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=3049726

why is this a big deal though? what aggressive action has the iranian republic ever taken against the us in the last 25 years? even if they acquired nuclear capabilities, there's no reason in the world to think they'd ever use them.

At least Obama has stopped talking about sitting down without preconditions with Iran. I think he finally sees that there is no negotiating with the leaders. Hopefully the people of Iran will throw the bastards out and we can talk to some sane leadership.

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

maybe obama will send jimmy carter over there to resolve things, since jimmy did such a bang up job 30 years ago.