Iran protests over consulate 'shots'
Sunday, 01 Apr 2007 12:47
British troops have their Iraqi base in Basra
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Iran has formally protested to the British embassy in Tehran over alleged shots fired at the Iranian consulate in Iraq, the country's state news agency has reported.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), a note of protest was issued after British forces shot at Iran's consulate in Basra – the Iraqi city where most of the UK's troops in the country are stationed.
An Iranian official was reported as saying that Britain had been asked to "prevent such actions in the future and respect international laws regarding diplomatic buildings".
The note of protest was also passed to Iran's mission to the United Nations, IRNA said.
The Ministry of Defence, however, has denied reports that British troops surrounded the consulate and fired shots in the air, saying instead that an exchange of gunfire had occurred after British troops were ambushed on the ground.
Tensions between Iran and the UK are currently running high as the confrontation over the detention of 15 Royal Navy personnel continues.
Tehran claims that the sailors had illegally entered Iranian waters when on patrol in the Gulf last week.
But the MoD insists that the personnel were 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi waters when they were captured. 