Tension as British Embassy worker charged

Times Online and newswires A detained Iranian employee of the British embassy has been charged with harming Iran’s national security, his lawyer said Saturday, in a move certain to increase tension with Europe. Iran has been holding nine local members of the British embassy staff on accusations of fomenting unrest. All but one has now been released and he has been chanrged with “acting against national security.” His lawyer confirmed him to journalists as Hossein Rassam, a political analyst at the embassy, and said he expects a trial soon. The Foreign Office could not confirm that an embassy employee had been charged and said it was “seeking urgentclarification from the Iranian authorities.” Meanwhile, with words likely to add futher fuel to the fire, a top aide to Iran’s supreme leader called the country’s main opposition... [read full story]                    

powered by