Tehran - British embassy staffers detained in Tehran have admitted involvement in demonstrations against the outcome of recent elections, a senior member of Iran's clergy claimed Friday. "Do not take the issue easy, it is indeed more serious than believed," Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said at a Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran.
Seven of the nine Iranian staffers arrested have been released, but two are reportedly still in jail and might face trial.
In London, a spokesman for the British Foreign Office said: "We are very concerned by these reports and are investigating."
"Allegations that our staff were involved in fomenting unrest are wholly without foundation. We will be seeking an urgent explanation from the Iranians."
Ayatollah Jannati charged the protests were planned even before the June 12 election that returned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power and were intended to remove Iran's Islamic system.
The ayatollah is head of the Guardian Council, a constitutional watchdog, and also a fierce supporter of Ahmadinejad.
"Their (Western) stupidity knows no boundaries," the hardline cleric said. "They think Iran is like Georgia or Ukraine where they can easily replace one system with another one. Their problem is they do not know the Iranian people at all."
The detention of the embassy personnel has not only led to a crisis with Britain, but has also sourced relations with the rest of the European Union.
While Iran is toying with the idea of revising diplomatic ties with Britain, France and Germany, EU nations are considering visa bans on Iranian officials and recalling ambassadors from Tehran.
