The Iranian authorities have arrested eight local staff members of the British embassy in Tehran. The Iranian news agency Fars says the eight are accused of playing an important role in the recent unrest.

Relatives of those arrested say they have no idea where they are being held. Earlier, Iran accused Great Britain of organising the demonstrations against the official results of the 12 June presidential election. London has demanded the release of its embassy staff. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband described the arrests as "harassment and intimidation".

Since the announcement of the official results - which declared that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won by a large majority - large numbers of Iranians have been holding daily protests against what they describe as widespread fraud. Opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi says that according to his own surveys he won the election. He demanded, in vain, a complete recount of the ballots. Dozens of people have been killed in attempts by the Iranian authorities to suppress the protests.

European Union foreign ministers meeting on the Greek island Corfu have sharply condemned the arrests. The EU has condemned the arrests and demanded Tehran ends the intimidation of diplomats. Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said the EU will take serious joint action.

Photo: Mass demonstration in Tehran 15 June 2009 - Flickr misterarasmus