Iran's foreign ministry said Sunday that its ambassador to the UK, recalled home recently after a former Iranian diplomat to Argentina was arrested in Britain, was returning to his post, but warned ties would only worsen unless the detained former diplomat was released.
The Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said ambassador Morteza Sarmadi left for London Sunday after "consultations" over last month's detention of former Iranian envoy to Argentina Hadi Soleimanpur.
"The arrest of an ex-ambassador is unacceptable for the Islamic Republic of Iran. We have conveyed the British side of the destructive effect it has. Political channels are still open," AFP cited Asefi as telling reporters in Tehran.
"With his unconditional freeing, these destructive effects can be stopped," he added, saying Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw were "in constant contact with each other".
Asefi insisted that Soleimanpur was "absolutely innocent".
"The accusations are absolutely baseless. The Islamic republic of Iran cannot sit silent," he made clear.(Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
