Diplomats called in as cleric says UK embassy staff face trial in Iran over election demonstrations

This article is more than 11 years old

This article is more than 11 years old

The EU decided today to summon all Iranian ambassadors in capitals across Europe in a co-ordinated protest over the detention of UK embassy staff. The move came after a senior cleric said some of the staff accused of inciting protests following last month's disputed presidential election would be put on trial.

The head of Iran's guardian council, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, said the detained staff members had "made confessions" in connection with the unrest.

The surprise move by the council, Iran's top legislative body, will cause relations between London and Tehran to deteriorate further after tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions last week.

Sweden, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said in a statement: "It's not acceptable to file charges against the ones released or to the ones still in custody."

Jannati, a hardliner who is close to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said during a Friday prayer sermon: "Following the election, the enemy couldn't bear to see the people's happiness and tried to pour poison down their throats.

"They had plotted the velvet revolution prior to the election, and even on the British foreign ministry website in March it was announced that Iran's election might be accompanied by some unrest and that British citizens were warned to be careful.

"What is the meaning of these predictions?"

His comments are not an official announcement from Tehran – Jannati does not hold a position in the government or judiciary.

But his status as the head of the guardian council, a powerful body of clerics that stands above the elected government, gives him a degree of authority.

Jannati did not say how many embassy staff members would be tried, or on what charges.

The threat of a trial came as the 27 EU countries examined potential steps to protest against Iran's crackdown on dissent. Future measures could include visa bans on Iranian officials, diplomats said.

Earlier, Iranian officials said all but one of the nine embassy personnel arrested on 27 June had been released, but EU officials said they believed more than one was still being held.

Downing Street said it was seeking urgent clarification from the Iranian government as the Foreign Office again rejected Iranian accusations against its staff.

"All we can say is that two of our staff remain in detention," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.

"I would reiterate what we said earlier this week, that the accusations against them are without foundation."

Iran arrested the embassy workers in a co-ordinated operation last weekend.

The matter seemed to be winding down after most were released in the face of a strong response from the EU.

The brutal response by Iranian security forces against demonstrators who claimed the election had been rigged in favour of the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, drew western condemnation. At least 20 people were killed.

Iran said the vote was fair and has made Britain the target of some of its fiercest rhetoric.

Iranian hardliners continue to harbour resentment at Britain for its role in toppling the democratically elected government of Mohammed Mossadeq in 1953.