Iran ‘considering downgrading UK ties’
By Ian Dunt
Iran is considering downgrading its ties with the UK, the country’s foreign ministry has said.
The news comes a day after Gordon Brown revealed the two countries have been engaged in a series of tit-for-tat expulsions.
Iran expelled two British diplomats on Monday, it is understood, with Britain then expelling two diplomats of similar rank immediately afterwards.
Relations between Iran and the UK have drastically deteriorated since a controversial election which is contested by opposition figurehead Mir Hossein Mousavi and many international analysts.
Downing Street said Britain wanted to pursue a “constructive bilateral relationship with Iran” but was clearly critical of its latest approach.
The prime minister’s spokesman said the fact Iranian leaders were attempting to turn an internal conflict into a “conflict with the UK and others” was “deeply regrettable and without foundation”.
