The Iranian authorities have especially sought to cast Britain as an instigator of the unrest. They arrested nine local employees of the British Embassy in Tehran over the weekend, though five were released by Monday night. The Iranian authorities accused the local employees of fomenting unrest.

Press TV announced that three of the employees were released Wednesday, leaving just one still in custody. That employee, Fars said on Wednesday, “had a remarkable role during the recent unrest in managing it behind the scenes”.

Carl Bildt, Sweden’s Foreign Minister, told reporters on Wednesday — the day his country took over the rotating presidency of the European Union — that it was in the interests of both the European Union and Iran to retain full diplomatic ties. But he did not specifically exclude the withdrawal of ambassadors, saying that “from the diplomatic perspective, all options are on the table”. NYT

Ahmadinejad cancels libya trip

TEHRAN: Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called off a trip to Libya for an African Union summit on Wednesday that would have given the hardline President another chance to appear at an international forum after his disputed re-election. A spokesman at Ahmadinejad’s office said the Libya visit had been cancelled. He gave no reason. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi later told state television Ahmadinejad was too busy to go.

Rivals defiant on Iran poll result

TEHRAN: Mir Hussein Moussavi and Mehdi Karoubi unleashed fierce attacks on the outcome of the June 12 vote that returned Ahmadinejad to power. Both men issued statements on their websites describing Ahmadinejad’s future Government as “illegitimate”.

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