Iran said yesterday five of the nine detained local staff at the British embassy in Tehran had been released while the other four were being held for questioning, state television reported.
Iranian media said on Sunday several local embassy staff had been held on accusations of involvement in the street protests that rocked Iran after a disputed June 12 presidential election.
“Out of nine people, five of them have been released and the rest are being interrogated,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told a news conference in comments translated by Iran’s English-language Press TV.
On Sunday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband demanded the release of all the staff held and said his EU colleagues had agreed to a “strong, collective response” to any “harassment and intimidation” against EU missions.
Yesterday British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s spokesman said “four locally engaged staff from the British embassy” were still being held by the Iranian authorities.
“We are deeply concerned at their arrest and their continued detention. These arrests are completely unacceptable and unjustifiable,” the spokesman told reporters.
Qashqavi said Miliband and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had spoken on the phone on Sunday evening when Miliband stressed Britain’s intention was not to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs.
“Mottaki said that if they really prove this in practice ... this can be considered as a positive step,” Qashqavi said.
Iran has stepped up accusations that Western powers — Britain and the US in particular — are interfering in its internal affairs and fomenting post-election unrest. London and Washington denied the allegations.
Iranian Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said on Sunday the British embassy had played a role in the unrest following this month’s election, including sending people among the protesters telling them what to do and what to chant.
Britain and Iran have expelled two of each other’s diplomats since the election.
Mottaki was last week quoted as saying Iran was reviewing whether to downgrade ties with Britain. Qashqavi said closing down any foreign embassy or reducing diplomatic ties was not on Iran’s agenda.
Qashqavi also said Iran expected Sweden to pay damages after about 200 protesters demonstrated outside the Iranian embassy in Stockholm on Friday.
He blamed an exiled Iranian opposition group as well as communists and monarchists for the incident, in which he said three of “our colleagues” were injured, Qashqavi said.
Also See: Iran commences partial recount of vote
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source