Iran says five local British embassy staff freed

Tehran: Iran said on Monday five out of the nine detained local staff at the British embassy in Tehran had been released, while the other four were being held for questioning, state television reported.

Iranian media said on Sunday several local British embassy staff had been held on accusations of involvement in the street protests that rocked Iran after a disputed June 12 presidential election.

"Out of nine people, five of them have been released and the rest are being interrogated," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told a news conference in comments translated by Iran's English-language Press TV.

On Sunday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband demanded the release of all the staff held and said his European Union colleagues had agreed to a "strong, collective response" to any such "harassment and intimidation" against EU missions.

Qashqavi said Miliband and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had spoken on the phone on Sunday evening when Miliband stressed Britain's intention was not to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.

"Mottaki said that if they really prove this in practice...this can be considered as a positive step," Qashqavi said.

Iran has stepped up accusations of Western powers - Britain and the United States in particular - interfering in its internal affairs and fomenting post-election unrest. London and Washington have denied the allegations.

In London, a Foreign Office spokesman said around nine embassy staff were detained and that "several have been released", without giving specific numbers.