UK closes Iranian embassy in London

Britain has ordered the immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in London, giving Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country. Meanwhile, London has moved to withdraw its entire diplomatic staff from Tehran. The moves came a day after hundreds of protesters in Tehran stormed the British embassy. Shut down the Iranian embassy in London and expel all its staff. This is the latest response from Britain against its embassy being attacked in Tehran on Tuesday. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "The Iranian charge 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. If any country makes it impossible for us to operate on their soil, they cannot expect to have a functioning embassy here." However, Hague stressed that this does not amount to the severing of diplomatic relations in their entirety. He said it is action that reduces Britain’s relations with Iran to the lowest level consistent with the maintenance of diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, Iran’s Parliament Speaker addressed his assembly to explain the reasons behind the protesters’ anger. Iran Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said: "This anger was the outpouring of several decades of exploitative actions by England in Iran. Part of it dates back to the early periods of the constitutional revolution and part of it was because of their role in strengthening the Pahlavid dynasty. After the revolution which caused England to lose its influence, they continued their animosity with the Iranian nation." While Iran expressed its regrets over the incident, the British Foreign Secretary insisted the idea that the assault could have taken place without some degree of regime consent is fanciful. On Tuesday, hard-line protesters in Tehran hauled down British flags, set fire to an embassy vehicle and pelted buildings with petrol bombs. Another group broke into a British diplomatic residential compound in north Tehran. The attacks followed the latest Western sanctions to punish Iran for defiance over its nuclear program.