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Tensions between Britain and Iran escalated tonight with a bout of tit-for-tat expulsions.
First, two British diplomats were kicked out by the Iranian regime. Then Gordon Brown revealed that in retaliation their counterparts had been expelled from the UK.
The Iranians claimed that the Britons had engaged in “activities which are incompatible with their diplomatic status”, normally a code for spying.
But the Prime Minister told Parliament this afternoon that Tehran's accusations against the diplomats were “absolutely without foundation”.
Tehran was on a knife-edge today after the ruling Guardian Council decided not to annul the election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Fresh demonstrations were planned to mourn protesters killed by the regime's secret police.
Foreign Office sources said that the Iranian actions against the British diplomats were “unacceptable” and expressed fears for the safety of other personnel in the embassy.
A spokesman told the Standard: “The government of Iran is seeking to blame the UK and other outsiders for what is an Iranian reaction to an Iranian issue. This has the potential to impact on our staff safety. We have therefore taken the decision to reciprocate.”
Reader views (16)
Gordon Brown is a moron. Hes just done what the Iranians were longing for . "The Little Satan has expelled our heroic Diplomats". Thanks Gordon. As if we didnt have enough to worry about. Now your going to start WW3. Singlehanded!!
- Green Man, London
But mom,he stole my sweets so i stole his to make it right,so in other words this government (LOL),came down to their level,what on earth is going on over there,lack of leadership,like we have over here.
- Keith, South Carolina,USA
Tit-for-Tat diplomatic expulsions have been standard procedure for centuries.
- Sally70, Bedford
god help us all i believe that its all building up 2 ww3 and energy and economic wars and the protection of the now what should be defunt us dollar raises its ugly head
- Owen Mulhall, london uk
Right, now Britain needs to expel Brown and the world is better again.
- Joanne Smith, London
Have to agree that just ignoring Iran on this would have had a better effect.
- Clive Morris, London
Somehow I fail to see how Milland Vanilli is a match to powerful Iran... And of course we know that our current PM never was an elected PM...
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Brown and Ahmadinejad the great un-elected !
- Brian Hughes, Llandudno. North Wales. U.K.
My God! Britain has found its balls...they've shrunk to the size of raisins but maybe, aside from Mandelson, Straw, Harman, Balls, Milliband, Smith et al, someone, somewhere in the UK, far far away from Social Worker land, has actually decided that the best interests of the British people can be served by actually standing up for ourselves.
- Martin, Cheltenham
We should pull all our people out of Iran and expel theirs. We would never make headway with this regime and the hostages in Iraq held by an Iranian backed terror group are screwed.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
#Brian Challis
I think you are confusing Iran with Iraq, Brian.
- Val Daniels, Mijas Costa, Spain
To sit back and watch a country such as Iran develops a nuclear capability would be a act of crass stupidity on behalf of the west.
- Kev, London-UK
I would like to know what the supreme leader of Iran calls an election regularity especially as in some areas, more votes were cast than people registered to vote. That is electoral fraud in anyone's language!
- Annoyed Of Croydon, London
Why do we ever go to Iran and there have been 179 people killed and Tony Blair set them up out there
We should terminate all this and the European Eunion as we will all lose 20% of our pensions through being with the Brussels government and all a con
- Brian Challis, Southend-on-Sea, UK
So why not simply turn the other cheek, take the moral high ground and let the Iranian diplomats stay!? Wouldn't that send a better message back to Iran and the world!?
I must be missing something...far too simplistic!
- Gavin, London
Whilst the expulsion of our diplomats may be galling and without foundation, why on earth has Gordon responed in such a petulant way?. Tit for tat never achieves anything, and just brings us down to the same level as the Iranians.
Far better to hold our head up high, stand stand above this behaviour.
- Tony Heath, Godalming, Surrey.
