Tehran Releases British Embassy employee

Iranian authorities are still holding the embassy's chief political analyst.Is there a rift in the Nation's Leadership?

TEHRAN (AsiaNews/ Agencies) - Iranian authorities have released another British Embassy employee in Tehran. Only one of the eight people arrested more than a week ago remains in custody in Evin Prison. He is the embassy's chief political analyst and has been charged with acting against national security.

In the past few weeks Iran has accused Great Britain several times of being one of the instigators of street protests that followed the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the presidency.

Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated against what for them was an election marred by election fraud.

By contrast, Iran's Supreme Leader and Ahmadinejad continue to blame the West, especially Great Britain, for the disturbances.

However, many observers are convinced that such accusations are designed to hide the deep division between the Islamic Republic and its leadership and Iranian society.

As an example of this widening gap a group of Islamic clerics in Qom added their voice to that of the opposition. Qom is a major centre of Islamic theology.

Contrary to what Supreme Leader Khamenei said, for them the 12 June election was "invalid".

They also called for the release of everyone arrested during the protest.

Sources inside Iran report that around a thousand people are still being held, including political leaders and journalists.