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Eight local British embassy staff in Iran held

Sunday, June 28, 2009 TEHRAN: Eight Iranian employees of the British embassy in Tehran have been detained on accusations of involvement in post-election unrest in the Islamic Republic, a local news agency reported on Sunday. "Eight local employees at the British embassy who had a considerable role in recent unrest were taken into custody," the news agency said, without giving a source. "This group played an active role in provoking recent unrest," the news agency said. Iran has accused Western powers -- Britain and the United States in particular -- of inciting street protests and violence that rocked the country after its disputed June 12 presidential election. Britain has rejected the accusations. Last Tuesday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Britain was expelling two Iranian diplomats after Iran forced two British diplomats to leave.

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