Tehran, July 3: A top Iranian cleric said on Friday that some of the detained Iranian staffers of the British embassy in Tehran will be put on trial, and he accused Britain of a role in instigating widespread protests that erupted over the country’s disputed presidential election.
The announcement by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati came a day after the European Union demanded Iran release the staffers, who were detained on June 27. Britain is pressing EU countries to pull their ambassadors out of Tehran in protest.
Mr Jannati, a powerful hardliner who is close to Iran’s supreme leader, told worshippers during a Friday prayer sermon in Tehran that the detained staffers "made confessions."
"In these events, their embassy had a presence," he said, referring to the post-election turmoil.
"Some people were arrested. Well, inevitably, they will be put on trial."
He did not say how many staffers will be tried or on what charges. Earlier Iranian officials said all but one of the eight embassy personnel arrested on June 27 had been released, but European Union officials said they believed more than one was still being held.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Office said on Friday it was "very concerned" by reports from Iran that local embassy staff may face trial in connection with demonstrations against last month’s presidential election.
"We are very concerned by these reports and are investigating," a spokeswoman said.
—AP,Reuters
