Shots fired at embassy in Tehran

Tuesday, 9 September 2003 12:00 AM

Shots have been fired at the British embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran for the second time in under a week.

Shots were fired at the building last Wednesday by gunmen on motorbikes; breaking windows and damaging the embassy.

No one has been injured in the incident today and no arrests have been made.

British officials have protested to the Iranian Government over levels of security around the embassy building.

The Foreign Office confirmed that three or four shots were fired from the street in the vicinity of the British building.

The incident occurred at 0055 local time (0825 GMT). "There were witnesses to the shots outside in the street", a spokeswoman said.

There appears to be no evidence of bullet marks on the building but the officials believe the embassy had been deliberately targeted.

It has been closed and carrying out "limited functions" since the first attack and the Foreign Office has announced that it will remain on alert, adding that there was a specific threat to the embassy but no risk to other British nationals in Iran.

The attacks come amid tension between London and Tehran over the arrest in Britain last month of a former Iranian envoy to Argentina, Hadi Soleimanpur, who was arrested in northeast England on an extradition request from Buenos Aires.

He is accused of taking part in a 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Argentina that killed 85 people.

Britain's role in neighbouring Iraq is also controversial.

Iranian officials condemned today's shooting.

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