Iranian footballers who wore green armbands to support protesters forced to retire by hardline regime



Iran claims protesters with British passports were at rallies

Regime considers downgrading ties with UK



Obama condemns Iran's 'violence against innocent civilians'

President also pays tribute to video martyr Neda



Four footballers who wore green armbands in solidarity with Iranian protesters have been forced to retire from the national team.

Their gesture in a recent World Cup match in Seoul attracted worldwide attention last week.

But the authorities have now taken revenge revenge by imposing life bans on Ali Karimi, 31, Mehdi Mahdavikia, 32, Hosein Ka'abi, 24 and Vahid Hashemian, 32. According to the paper, they have been 'retired' from the sport.



They were among six players who took to the field wearing wristbands in the colour of the defeated opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, which has been adopted by demonstrators who believe the 12 June election was stolen.

Most of the players obeyed instructions to remove the armwear at half-time, but Mahdavikia wore his green captain's armband for the entire match.

Iran's national team pose for a picture with players wearing symbolic green wrist bands in solidarity with the protesters before the 2010 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers match between Iran and South Korea in Seoul last week

Relations between Britain and Iran reached a new low today as the Tehran claimed some people caught up in post-election violence had British passports.

Intelligence minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei claimed one man who had been arrested was 'disguised as a journalist and collecting information needed by the enemies.'

The regime is considering downgrading ties with the UK, which it has accused of interfering in the disputed presidential elections.

Two British diplomats were expelled from Iran on Tuesday. In a tit-for-tat move, Gordon Brown revealed two Iranian diplomats were being kicked out of the UK.

‘Iran took the unjustified step of expelling two British diplomats over allegations which are absolutely without foundation,' he told the Commons.



‘In response to that action, we informed the Iranian ambassador that we would expel two Iranian diplomats from their embassy in London,’ he said.

Demonstrators gathered outside the British embassy in Tehran and burned British flags, as well as those of the U.S., France and Italy.

A group of about a hundred hardliners gathered in front of the building chanting ‘British embassy should be closed’ and ‘Down with Britain’ as tomatoes were hurled at the walls.

One of the student leaders said: ‘We don't need to have such useless relations with Britain ... If Britain continues its interference in Iran, we will destroy their houses over their heads.’

Iranian protesters burn representations of flags of western countries including Britain and the U.S.

The flags were burned during a demonstration in front of British Embassy against 'western countries meddling in Iran's domestic affairs'

Iran's relations with Britain and the U.S. have plummeted since the disputed June 12 presidential elections, which sparked mass protests that have seen at least 17 people killed - many of them shot dead by militia loyal to Mr Ahmadinejad.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has attacked interference by foreign powers, singling out Britain as the ‘most treacherous’ and ‘most evil’ of Iran's enemies.

‘I am disappointed that Iran has placed us in this position, but we will continue to seek good relations with Iran and to call for the regime to respect the human rights and democratic freedoms of the Iranian people,’ Mr Brown said.

Tory leader David Cameron, backing Mr Brown's move, said the Iranian people's ‘yearning for freedom and democracy’ must be supported by Britain, adding: ‘The expulsion of diplomats by Iran is clearly not acceptable and the British Government was absolutely right to respond.’

Britain has ordered the families of British diplomats to leave Tehran and warned UK citizens against any non-essential travel to Iran as tensions have grown amid fears there could be a repeat of the occupation of the U.S. Embassy in 1979, when students stormed the building and held 52 diplomats hostage for 444 days.

‘I think we were provoked by networks like the BBC and the VOA (Voice of America) to take such immoral actions,’ one young man said.

Senior judiciary official Ebrahim Raisi said: ‘Those arrested in recent events will be dealt with in a way that will teach them a lesson.’ He said a special court was studying the cases.

‘The rioters should be dealt with in an exemplary way and the judiciary will do that,’ Raisi said.



Britain has a long history of involvement in Iran and recent relations have been difficult.

Britain suspended its diplomatic ties after the Islamic revolution in 1979, only reopening an embassy in 1988, following the Iran-Iraq war.

Relations were downgraded again in the early 1990s, with full normalisation only taking place in 1998.

Tough talk: Barack Obama (left) spoke of the death of Neda Soltan as he gave a press conference on Iran



Horrific: The student was shot during protests in Tehran about the disputed elections



In a separate development, U.S. President Barack Obama made his strongest comments yet on Iran, declaring the international community was ‘appalled and outraged’ by what he called the threats and violence that had followed the Iranian election.

Election: Iran's legislative body, the Guardian Council, has ruled out any chance of a re-run, saying Mr Ahmadinejad had won by a landslide

He made a particular reference to Neda Soltan, the young woman of 26 who has become the iconic image of the protests after video of her dying in the street after being shot was circulated around the world.

‘The US and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days,’ he said,



‘I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.’

‘We have seen the timeless dignity of tens of thousands Iranians marching in silence. We have seen people of all ages risk everything to insist that their votes are counted and their voices heard,' he said.



‘Above all, we have seen courageous women stand up to brutality and threats, and we have experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the streets.



'While this loss is raw and painful, we also know this: those who stand up for justice are always on the side of right.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Tehran there was no sign of the large-scale demonstrations of previous days although on Thursday opposition leaders have urged Iranians to mourn those killed in the protests.

Riot police and Basij militia on Tehran's main squares warded off the mass protests that have marked the week since disputed elections.

Iran's hardline leadership appeared to have gained the ascendancy, at least for the moment.

Videos: South Tehran protest on Monday afternoon and Basij militia beating women in the streets