UK baulks at ayatollah's "evil" branding
Diplomatic row breaks out after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Britain is "most treacherous" of all Iran's enemies
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Friday, 19, Jun 2009 05:10
A diplomatic row has broken out after Iran's supreme leader accused the "evil" British government of meddling in the country's democratic processes.
In a sermon delivered on Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the UK was the "most treacherous" of all Iran's enemies.
Britain summoned the Iranian ambassador to explain Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office told inthenews.co.uk, after dubbing them "acceptable".
Iran is currently engulfed by mass protests over the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a result the ayatollah once again embraced today.
Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi, encouraged by the opposition reformist himself, have taken to the streets since Saturday's declaration of results demanding for a second election amid allegations of widespread electoral fraud.
Rejecting those claims, the ayatollah told thousands gathered in Tehran University in Friday prayers: "The enemies are targeting the Islamic establishment's legitimacy by questioning the election and its authenticity before and after."
British-Iranian relations have typically been characterised by mistrust since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Iranian authorities still point to British interference and colonial interests in the region during the 19th century, while UK intelligence officers contributed to the overthrow of a democratically-elected Iranian regime in the 1950s.
More recently, 15 Royal Navy personnel were held for 12 days after being picked up in disputed waters by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in 2007.
The UK is also among the United Nations security council members in favour of further sanctions against Tehran over its contested uranium enrichment programme.