Iranian Ambassador Back To London

He underlined, however, that Iranian-British relations would only worsen unless the detained former diplomat was released, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Soleimanpur was arrested in northeast England on an extradition request from Buenos Aires allegedly accusing him of involvement in a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center that killed 85 people.

“The arrest of an ex-Ambassador is unacceptable for the Islamic Republic of Iran. We have conveyed the British side of the destructive effect it has. Political channels are still open,” Asefi told reporters.

“With his unconditional freeing, these destructive effects can be stopped,” he added, saying Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw were “in constant contact with each other”.

Asefi insisted that Soleimanpur was “absolutely innocent”.

“The accusations are absolutely baseless. The Islamic republic of Iran cannot sit silent,” he said.

Relations between Britain and Iran have hit a low over the arrest of the former Ambassador.

On August 24, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami demanded an apology from the British government over the arrest of the former diplomat who was in Britain on a student visa since February last year.

Soleimanpur had enrolled at Durham University, where he was following an environment studies course, as an “ordinary student”, and did not receive a scholarship from the Iranian government.

The diplomatic crisis further aggravated when Iran recalled Sarmadi Wednesday, September 3, for consultations and the British embassy in Tehran came under a gun attack prompting the indefinite closure of the mission.

“The shooting incident at the British embassy was unacceptable,” Asefi stressed.

“Diplomats in another country are under the security of the host country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Ministry of Interior to intensify security outside the British Embassy,” he added.

After the gun attack, Britain’s Foreign Office authorized the voluntary departure of non-essential members of staff and dependants at the Embassy.

A diplomat at the Embassy said a number of staff members had since left Iran, but gave no numbers.