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| (press tv) Miliband said he is confident that the staff members have not engaged in any improper or illegal behavior and that Iran must clarify whether it would send the men to court. |
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London has reacted to remarks by a senior Iranian official, demanding Iran to clarify whether local British Embassy staffers will stand trial in the country.
Tehran became the scene of violence in recent weeks amidst rallies staged in protest at the outcome of the June 12 presidential election -- which saw Mahmoud Ahmadinejad elected for a second term in office.
The protests came to worldwide attention with major media outlets focusing a large portion of their coverage on Iran.
After warning other countries against interfering in its internal affairs, the Tehran government arrested a number of Iranian nationals working at the British Embassy and said that the people had played a role in encouraging the post-election violence.
Although a number of those arrested in Tehran have been released, one still remains in detention. On the fate of the British Embassy personnel, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati on Friday said a trial would be held and those considered culprits in fomenting post-election riots would face justice.
In a statement, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband reacted to the remarks by the Guardian Council member and said he was "urgently seeking clarification" from Iranian officials, dismissing allegations that the staffers were involved in any illegal act.
"We are confident that our staff have not engaged in any improper or illegal behavior," he said.
He went on to insist that Ayatollah Jannati is not in a position to declare such a measure. "We are urgently seeking clarification from the appropriate Iranian authorities. I intend to speak to Foreign Minister (Manouchehr) Mottaki."
Dismissing Iran's allegations as "wholly without foundation", London earlier summoned Iranian ambassador Rasoul Movahhedian to demand an immediate release of the staffers.
In protest at the recent arrests, the European Union has also summoned all Iranian ambassadors appointed to EU countries.
"We are summoning the Iranian ambassadors throughout the European Union and we will be monitoring the situation next week concerning the local personnel from the British Embassy," AFP quoted a source close to the Swedish EU presidency as saying.
As tensions between the two countries continue to rise, the EU has also begun considering the imposition of travel bans on certain Iranian officials as well as the withdrawal of ambassadors from Iran.
The quest to pull ambassadors from Iran, however, has been met with an unenthusiastic response in the European Union with Germany arguing that a withdrawal of envoys would only further complicate matters.
Iran's Foreign Ministry has since ordered the second and third secretaries of the British Embassy to leave the country.
In a tit-for-tat move, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that London would also expel two Iranian diplomats.
In support of the arrest of the Iranian nationals, Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i has said, "The British Embassy played a crucial role in the recent (post-election) unrest both through its local staff and via media."
"We have photos and videos of certain local employees of the British Embassy, who collected news about the protests," he added.
Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, who says he legally represents the man still held in Tehran, has allegedly said that the imprisoned staffer has been formally charged.
"Apparently he will be put on trial. We have prepared and submitted the defence documents and I have to see the judge next week," the Guardian quoted the lawyer as saying.
Source: Press TV
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