THE GUARDIAN: Gordon Brown announces move to parliament after Tehran's 'unjustified' expulsion of two UK diplomats
Britain has ordered the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats, in tit-for-tat response to the expulsion of two British diplomats from Tehran yesterday.
The Iranian government said it was throwing out the two Britons, who have not been named, for "activities incompatible with their diplomatic status" – a claim Gordon Brown described as "unjustified".
This morning, the Iranian ambassador to London, Rasoul Movahedian Attar, was summoned to be informed of Britain's response by the permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, Sir Peter Ricketts. The Iranian diplomats, who have also not been identified, have been given a week to leave the country.
"I am disappointed that Iran has placed us in this position but we will continue to seek good relations with Iran and to call for the regime to respect the human rights and democratic freedoms of the Iranian people," Brown told the House of Commons.
The prime minister said Britain expected Iran to "meet its obligations to the international community", and said "the onus is on Iran to show the Iranian people" that the presidential elections this month were credible.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "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 a potential impact on our staff's safety and is unacceptable." >>> Julian Borger, diplomatic editor | Tuesday, 23, 2009
