An Iranian politician says the participation of the envoys of a number of Western countries in the carnival leading to the British Embassy in Tehran indicates London's confusion over the bill to downgrade ties.The Ambassadors of 25 countries in Iran organized a group visit to the disputed Qolhak Garden in north Tehran on Thursday followed by another visit to the British Embassy compound in downtown Tehran.
The visits followed protests by angry students outside the British Embassy on November 29, during which protesters pulled down the UK flag and demanded the speedy expulsion of the British envoy.
Majlis on November 27 passed a bill, which was also approved by the Guardian Council the next day, to downgrade relations with Britannia to the level of charge d'affaires and limit all economic and cultural collaboration with London to the minimum level.
"Ambassadors and embassies have a specific description in international law and the presence of an ambassador is to promote [the level of] relations between countries and they (envoys) do not have the right to meddle [in the affairs of their host country," Mohammad-Karim Abdi said Friday.
Abedi, who is also a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said foreign envoys are not allowed to cross even the thinnest of their host countries' redlines and even the slightest violation of the law can make an ambassador become a persona non grata.
The Iranian politician further described yesterday's visit by Western envoys in Tehran as an insult to their diplomatic status.
Abedi added that British confusion over the Majlis decision to downgrade ties had prompted Western envoys to seek to visit the embassy compound and Qolhak Garden on Thursday, Fars News Agency reported.
"The entry of Western ambassadors into Qolhak Garden will have no impact on any decision or law [pertaining to the garden] and the [Tehran] Municipality will do its job because [according to the Iranian law] if 31 trees are felled in a location that place can be seized [by the state]," he said.
With an area of 200,000 square meters, Qolhak Garden was first leased to the British by Mohammad Shah Qajar in 1872 as the ambassador's summer residence. Although the lease contract expired under Reza Shah Pahlavi, the complex has remained in the possession of the embassy.