Iran 'arrests UK embassy staff'

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

Iran has detained eight local staff at the British embassy in Tehran on accusations of having a role in post-election riots, local reports said.

The embassy has not yet confirmed the report from the semi-official Fars news agency, which did not name its source.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8122871.stm

[EFerrari]

1. Darn it! I hate it when these things happen on the weekend.

During the week, there's two programs here that would cover it more or less locally but not Sat or sun.

[villager]

2. Ah the old "embassy hostage" playbook move, eh?

Will the Tories do what our Repubbies did last time, and use it to help rig an election?

[EFerrari]

3. It's not clear if these people are Iranian nationals or not, is it?

/oops

[dipsydoodle]

4. I hadn't thought of that

Hadn't picked up on the significance of "local staff"

News is only from a couple of hours back so watch for updates on the link.

:hi:

[IndianaGreen]

5. Must be Iranian nationals working for the British Embassy

Bad shit all around.

[Turborama]

6. Update...

Iran has detained eight local staff at the British embassy in Tehran on accusations of having a role in post-election riots, local reports said.

The embassy has not yet confirmed the report from the semi-official Fars news agency, which did not name its source.

Relations between the countries are strained after Tehran accused the UK of inflaming unrest, which London denies.

Some 17 people are thought to have died in street protests after the disputed 12 June presidential poll.
Tehran has expelled two British diplomats in the past week, and the UK has responded with a similar measure.

There is no independent confirmation of the latest arrests.

"Eight local employees at the British embassy who had a considerable role in recent unrest were taken into custody," Fars said, without giving a source.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8122871.stm

[EFerrari]

7. Thank you. I hope these people aren't be abused

as a way to get dirt on the British personnel that were sent home. Very worrisome. :(

[Turborama]

8. An anonymous British Foreign Office official has confirmed this to CNN...

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Eight local staff members at the British Embassy in Tehran have been arrested, the Foreign Office in London told CNN Sunday, confirming earlier reports from Iran's government-backed Press TV.

Earlier Sunday the the Foreign Office said it had recently "received a number of, sometimes confused, reports that British nationals or others with British connections had been detained. We continue to raise them with the Iranian authorities."

A Foreign Office spokesman further added: "People with a connection to the UK have been arrested all week."

The representative declined to be named, citing office policy against identifying individual spokesmen.

More: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/28/iran.britain.arrests/index.html

-- --- ---

We can expect video "confessions" in the not too distant future, no doubt. Very worrisome, indeed.

[iandhr]

11. The 1980 election was not rigged

much as I hate to admit it Reagan won

[RandomThoughts]

9. If that report is true, it seems Ahmadinejad can be led around by the nose.

This could get interesting.

So why not, Lets listen to some tunes!!! Yea!

Eurythmics - Here Comes The Rain Again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PscogedAWTI

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQHrspjw4aA

Simply Red - If You Don't Know Me By Now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTcu7MCtuTs&feature=channel

Simply Red - Your Eyes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjzJXczUnGU


:rofl:

[eppur_se_muova]

10. UPDATE: Britain blasts arrest of embassy staffers in Iran (CNN)

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- The arrest of local staff members at the British Embassy in Iran is "harassment and intimidation of a kind which is quite unacceptable," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Sunday.

"About nine" staffers have been affected, he said, adding that some had already been released.

"We have protested in strong terms directly to the Iranian authorities about the arrests that took place yesterday," but there has been no response, Miliband said.

Iran's government-backed Press TV said earlier on Sunday that eight local British embassy staffers had been seized for their role in the unrest following the disputed presidential elections on June 12.

Last week, Tehran expelled two British diplomats. London responded by booting out two Iranian envoys.
***
more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/28/iran.britain.arrests/index.html

EDIT to correct attribution

[tocqueville]

12. EU warns after Iran arrests British embassy staff

AFP –

12 mins ago

CORFU, Greece, June 28, 2009 (AFP) – The European Union vowed Sunday to meet any harassment of diplomats in Iran with a "strong and collective response" after eight British embassy staff in Tehran were arrested.

"The harassment or intimidation of foreign and Iranian staff working at the EU embassies will be met with a strong and collective EU response," said a statement by the Czech EU presidency.

The condemnation came after a meeting of EU foreign ministers on the Greek island of Corfu and as Western nations faced increasing fire from the Islamic republic for allegations of "meddling" in its internal affairs.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband expressed satisfaction at the solidarity from his EU partners, in particular their "unanimous condemnation" of the actions by the Iranian authorities.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090628/wl_uk_afp/iranunrestbritainarresteu

[twitomy]

13. Oh boy, that'll put the fear of Allah them...

Meanwhile, President Obama patiently awaits for the Iranian fist to unclench....

[Bearware]

14. The local staff may be getting video etc. out through the embassy Internet

My guess is this is one of the ways of smuggling digital information about the demonstrations out. The locals probably get it from their friends and the embassy is not too shy about letting them use some bandwidth or even diplomatic luggage space.

I am sure others have thought about it but I do wonder where things would go in the U.S. if we had the same situation as the Iranians.
What would happen if DU and related sites in the U.S. were shutdown. If threatened enough could the corporations shutdown the Internet in the U.S. or would it impact business too much? What do you do when you have a video of government misconduct and they have shut down everything including twitter.

One the worst things that happened to the Iranian people was Michael Jackson's death. It blew away much of what little coverage they are getting. The MSM, who seems to want the status quo in Iran, is only too happy to be MJ 24x7.

[RandomThoughts]

15. I agree with your comment on USA censorship, check out this article.

We should protect freedom of internet here also

[struggle4progress]

16. Iran says does not want to close embassies (AFP)

Published: 06.29.09, 09:24 / Israel News

Iran has no intention of closing embassies in Tehran or reducing its diplomatic relations with Britain or any other foreign country, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

"There are no plans at present to close any embassy or cut our diplomatic ties with them," Hassan Ghashghavi told a press conference after being asked about the possibility of closing British Embassy in the country. (AFP)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3738457,00.html

[struggle4progress]

18. Iran: No downgrade of diplomatic ties with Britain

By WILLIAM J. KOLE
The Associated Press
Monday, June 29, 2009; 2:59 AM

-- EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

---

Iran dismissed the idea of downgrading diplomatic relations with Britain on Monday despite soaring tensions between the two countries after Iranian authorities detained local British Embassy employees for allegedly stirring up post-election unrest.

Britain has angrily denied that any Iranian staff at its embassy in Tehran have been involved in opposition challenges to the regime. On Sunday, the European Union condemned the detentions as "harassment and intimidation" and demanded the immediate release of those still in custody.

Iran has accused the West of stoking unrest, singling out Britain and the United States. Both countries have expressed concern about the ferocity of the regime's crackdown on supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims he was robbed of victory in a June 12 presidential election through massive and widespread vote fraud ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/28/AR2009062802845.html

[struggle4progress]

17. Five out of nine Iranian staff of British embassy released: TV

www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-29 14:24:54 Print

TEHRAN, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Five out of the nine detained Iranian staff at the British embassy in Tehran have been released, Iran's English-language satellite channel Press TV reported Monday morning.

"Five out of the nine local staff at the British embassy in the Iranian capital of Tehran have been released," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi was quoted as saying.

Qashqavi said that British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki by phone on Sunday evening and assured him that Britain does not intend to interfere in Iran's internal affairs ...

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/29/content_11619549.htm

[struggle4progress]

19. Iran frees five from UK embassy

... "Out of nine people, five of them have been released and the rest are being interrogated," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said at a news conference, state television Press TV reported.

Iran's Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hoseyn Mohseni-Ezhei on Sunday said "the British embassy played a crucial role in the recent unrest both through its local staff and via media", Iran's Irna news agency reported.

"We have photos and videos of certain local employees of the British embassy, who collected news about the protests.

"The embassy sent staff among the rioters to direct them in order to escalate the riots so that the rioters could file fabricated reports about the <rallies> to the world from various locations," the Iranian minister added ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8123579.stm

[struggle4progress]

20. Iran: British embassy detainees stirred unrest

... ran has videotape proof that local employees of the British Embassy in Tehran detained for allegedly stirring up post-election unrest "were distinctly present at the scene of clashes," a senior official said, and he warned that their fate now rests with the country's cleric-run judiciary.

Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseini Ejehi said in an interview with state television broadcast late Sunday that the detainees -- all Iranian nationals -- mingled with demonstrators to encourage unrest.

Ejehi said Iran's judiciary, which is tightly controlled by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will decide what happens next.

"Some of them who were distinctly present at the scene of clashes and were even videotaped have been cracked down on, and we should wait and see what will happen to them later with the cooperation of the judiciary," he said ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8582058

[Joe Chi Minh]

21. Gosh! Could it be that those brown-skinned foreigners are telling the truth?