UK orders closure of Iranian embassy in London

British FM Hague tells parliament UK has closed embassy in Tehran after storming by student protesters.

By REUTERS
Iran embassy in London_311 (photo credit: Reuters)
Iran embassy in London_311
(photo credit: Reuters)
LONDON - Britain said on Wednesday it had ordered the immediate closure of Iran's embassy in London and had closed its own embassy in Tehran after it was stormed by protesters.
"The Iranian charge (d'affaires) in London is being informed now that we require the immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in London and that all Iranian diplomatic staff must leave the United Kingdom within the next 48 hours," British Foreign Secretary William Hague told parliament.
RELATED:Britain downplays hostage crisis at embassy in IranWestern leaders demand Iran protect UK diplomats"We have now closed the British embassy in Tehran. We have decided to evacuate all our staff and as of the last few minutes, the last of our UK-based staff have now left Iran," he said.
Hague also announced that Iranian ambassadors had been summoned in countries across Europe to receive strong protests over the storming of the British embassy.
Britain, locked in a confrontation with Iran over its nuclear activities, has voiced outrage over the ransacking of its diplomatic premises in Tehran on Tuesday by hardline students and Basij militia in revenge for new British and Western sanctions.
"If any country makes it impossible for us to operate on their soil they cannot expect to have a functioning embassy here," Hague said.
"This does not amount to the severing of diplomatic relations in their entirety. It is action that reduces our relations with Iran to the lowest level consistent with the maintenance of diplomatic relations," he added.
Hague said it was "fanciful" to think the Iranian authorities could not have protected the British embassy, or that the assault could have taken place without "some degree of regime consent".
He said European Union foreign ministers would discuss the embassy attack at a meeting in Brussels later on Wednesday and on Thursday. The EU ministers would discuss "further action which needs to be taken in the light of Iran's continued pursuit of a nuclear weapons program," he said.
German media reported on Wednesday that Germany has recalled its ambassador to Iran for consultation after the British diplomatic mission in Tehran was stormed on Tuesday.
Spiegel Online on its website cited the German Foreign Ministry as saying Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle had decided to recall the ambassador. Magazine Stern also reported the ambassador has been called back to Germany.
According to the website of the German embassy in Tehran, the current ambassador is Bernd Ebel.
Earlier on Wednesday, a German government spokesman said that Germany had not reduced personnel at its embassy in Tehran. Germany said late on Tuesday it had summoned Iran's ambassador to discuss the storming of the British embassy.