Iran's ambassadors to the 27 member states of the European Union have been called in by the various foreign ministries to hear protests about the continued detention of two local staff of the British embassy in Tehran.
Ambassadors of the member states agreed at a meeting in Brussels earlier today (3 July) to delay the granting of visas to holders of Iranian diplomatic or service passports. Additional measures – including travel bans for Iranian officials - will be considered as the situation in Iran develops, according to a diplomat, but it is unlikely that any decisions will be taken before the end of next week, when the leaders of the G8 - the world's major economies - discuss Iran at a summit in Italy (8-10 July).
The Iranian employees of the British embassy stand accused of inciting protests against the official result of the presidential election on 12 June, according to which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the incumbent, won by a landslide. At least 20 people have been killed in the worst political violence since the Islamic revolution of 1978-79.
Nine local staff of the British embassy were arrested, of whom two are still in detention, according to the UK's foreign ministry. Iran says that only one remains in custody. Some or all of them could now be charged. The UK government maintains that the accusations against them are “without foundation”.
