London, July 15: As Iran deals with the aftermath of its disputed presidential election, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office changes a warning it had issued against travel to the Middle Eastern country.
Iran became the scene of opposition rallies after the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with nearly two-thirds of the vote on June 12.
On June 20, the rising unrest took a new turn when protesters — who reject the official election results as fraudulent and demand a re-run of the 10th presidential vote — tried to hold a rally without official permission from the Interior Ministry.
The rally turned deadly when a number of protesters were killed.
The British office issued a warning to all citizens against traveling to Iran after the country arrested a number of employees of the British Embassy in Tehran accused of collaborating with rioters.
Iran blames foreign powers, namely Britain, for the unrest, saying they played a significant role in fueling the post-vote violence and interfered in its internal affairs.
The office has now revised its advice “against all but essential travel to Iran”.
It, however, warned that sporadic, smaller demonstrations and violence remain possible.
“You should avoid demonstrations, large public gatherings and areas where security forces are deployed,” the office added.
The revision came after Iran released all but one British staffer who allegedly played a key role in the post-election riots.
——Agencies