Iran ‘To Try’ British Embassy Staffer

From an approving Associated Press:

Iranian cleric: British Embassy staff to be tried

By Lee Keath, Associated Press Writer

A top Iranian cleric said Friday that some of the detained Iranian staffers of the British Embassy in Tehran will be put on trial, and he accused Britain of a role in instigating widespread protests that erupted over the country’s disputed presidential election…

Jannati, a powerful hard-liner who is close to Iran’s supreme leader, told worshippers during a Friday prayer sermon in Tehran that the detained staffers "made confessions."

"In these events, their embassy had a presence," he said, referring to the post-election turmoil. "Some people were arrested. Well, inevitably, they will be put on trial."

He did not say how many staffers will be tried or on what charges. Earlier Iranian officials said all but one of the nine embassy personnel originally arrested had been released, but European Union officials said they believed more than one was still being held…

Jannati does not hold a position in the government or judiciary, but is the head of the Guardian Council, a powerful body in Iran’s ruling clerical hierarchy that stands above the elected government. He is also close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Jannati told the thousands of worshippers that the British "had designed a velvet revolution … In March, they said (in their Foreign Ministry) that street riots were possible during June elections. These are signs … revealed by themselves."

He also said those involved in protests "need to repent and ask God to forgive them." …

Apparently the Iranians learned from their experience when they kidnapped the British navel personnel.

There is no down side for them.

(Thanks to Melissa for the heads up.)

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