Iran's parliament votes to expel British ambassador

[TomClash]

Source: Guardian

Iran's parliament votes to expel British ambassador
MPs pass bill to downgrade diplomatic ties in response to economic sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear programme

Saeed Kamali Dehghan
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 27 November 2011 11.59 EST

Iranian MPs on Sunday passed a bill that in effect gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government two weeks to expel the ambassador, Dominick Chilcott.

The bill, which also requires Iran's economic and trade links with the UK to be reduced, has yet to be approved by the Guardian Council, the powerful body of clerics and lawyers that vets parliamentary activity.

If the bill comes into effect, diplomatic relations between Tehran and London will be downgraded from ambassadorial level to that of chargé d'affaires and Chilcott – who took up his post only a few weeks ago – will have to leave Tehran. Iran's embassy in London had been operating without an ambassador for several months.

. . .

Last week, the chancellor, George Osborne, announced fresh punitive measures targeting Iranian financial sectors, including the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), in the wake of a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which said the Islamic regime had been engaged in nuclear activities with military applications. Iran denied the claims, saying the UN report had been fabricated.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/27/iran-votes-expel-british-ambassador