The hard line regime is obsessed with the British. The capturing of the British sailors in 2007 was odd but arresting embassy workers is even more bizarre. They're fixated on picking a fight with a world power and without the US, the UK is the best they can hope for. (The US is no stranger to such strange behavior either as we discovered during the invasion of Iraq.) The EU ambassadors are staying put for now as that was apparently part of the deal when Iran released other embassy workers. The Guardian:
A British embassy employee is to stand trial in Tehran for "acting against national security" — a dramatic escalation in Iran's campaign to blame Britain for protests against disputed election results.
The man, a 44-year-old Iranian who is the British embassy's chief political analyst, was arrested on Saturday and has been formally charged at Tehran's Evin Prison, his lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, said. "Apparently he will be put on trial. We have prepared and submitted the defence documents and I have to see the judge next week."
It was is not clear whether any other embassy staff will face prosecution. A senior cleric claimed that some had "confessed" to playing a role in the protest movement. The staging of political trials is likely to lead to a breach in relations not only with Britain, but also with the European Union. Iranian ambassadors were summoned to foreign ministries in capitals across Europe in a coordinated rebuke.
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