A diplomatic crisis between Iran, Britain

Britain on Friday announced the reduction of the grade of the Iranian ambassador to Britain in retaliation to the rejection of the Iranian government to accept David Redwai as a new British ambassador in Tehran.

A statement by the British government said that London will not give its decision to appoint Redawi as its ambassador in Tehran and that it decided to reduce the grade of the Iranian ambassador Murtada Sarmadi into a charge de affairs in response to the Iranian position towards its ambassador who was appointed in Tehran.

The statement denied that the source of this dispute to be Iran's anger over enrolling its name in the " axis of evil" which the US President George Bush talked about recently, on the ground that Britain is the closest ally to Washington.

In this context, British diplomats at the British foreign ministry said that the difference between London and Tehran is considered a blow to the attempts made recently by the British Prime minister Tony Blair to improve Britain's relations with Iran. Besides this dispute constitutes a great harassment to the British foreign office secretary Jack Straw who visited Iran recently following the incidents of September 11 to win Iran to the international; alliance against terrorism and to improve the relations between Tehran and London.