Reports that British Embassy staff in Iran may face trial

03 Jul 2009

Following news that remarks by Ayatollah Jannati suggest some of our local staff in Iran may face trial, Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, stressed that 'we are urgently seeking clarification from the appropriate Iranian authorities'.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Crown Copyright

David Miliband said:

"We have noted the remarks by Ayatollah Jannati suggesting that some of our local staff in Iran may face trial.

We are urgently seeking clarification from the appropriate Iranian Authorities. I intend to speak to Foreign Minister Mottaki. I welcome the decisions taken yesterday by the EU.

We are confident that our staff have not engaged in any improper or illegal behaviour. We remain deeply concerned about the two members of our staff who remain in detention in Iran".

As part of the EU's co-ordinated action, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign Office, Peter Ricketts, also called in Iranian Ambassador Movahedian on 3 July. He reiterated the need for the detained British Embassy staff in Tehran to be released as soon as possible and without charge. The EU as a whole saw this as an issue of deep concern.

In line with the Foreign Secretary’s statement, Peter Ricketts also stressed the need for urgent clarification following the remarks by Ayatollah Jannati suggesting some of our local staff may face trial.