TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran has arrested eight local British embassy staff, media reports said on Sunday, a move that will further exacerbate strained ties with the West over the post-election turmoil in the Islamic republic.
It is the latest retaliatory action against Britain, which Iran has accused of stoking the unrest that swept the country after the disputed election that returned hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.
“Eight members of the local staff at the British embassy who had a considerable role in the recent riots have been arrested,” the Fars news agency said without quoting a source.
Last week, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki warned that Iran may downgrade ties with Britain, after the two governments expelled diplomats in a tit-for-tat move.
Iran has also expelled the BBC correspondent in Tehran and arrested a British-Greek journalist, as well as a number of other British passport-holders it says were involved in rioting.
The latest backlash against the West came as opposition leaders in Iran kept up their defiance of the regime, rejecting a panel set up to hold a partial recount of ballots cast in the June 12 vote.
Mir Hossein Mousavi, Ahmadinejad’s strongest rival, is still insisting on a new vote while another defeated candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, has demanded an independent panel to probe irregularities.
