Britain pulls embassy staff out of Iran
"The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have made clear that ensuring the safety of our staff and their families is our immediate priority," the Foreign Office said in a statement.
"In light of yesterday's events, and to ensure their ongoing safety, some staff are leaving Tehran."
Earlier, Western diplomatic sources in Tehran told Reuters that Britain had evacuated all its diplomatic staff from Iran.
Britain said it was outraged by the attacks and warned of "serious consequences". The UN Security Council condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms". US President Barack Obama called on Iran to hold those responsible to account.
On Tuesday, Iranian protesters stormed two British diplomatic compounds in Tehran, smashing windows, torching a car and burning the British flag in protest against new sanctions imposed by London.
The attacks occurred at a time of rising diplomatic tension between Iran and Western nations, which last week imposed fresh sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme that they believe is aimed at achieving the capability of making an atomic bomb.
Iran, the world's fifth biggest oil exporter, says it wants nuclear plants only for the generation of electricity.
The embassy storming was also a sign of deepening political infighting within Iran's ruling hardline elites, with the conservative-led parliament attempting to force the hand of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and expel the British ambassador.
"Radicals in Iran and in the West are always in favour of crisis ... Such radical hardliners in Iran will use the crisis to unite people and also to blame the crisis for the fading economy," said political analyst Hasan Sedghi.
Several dozen protesters broke away from a crowd of a few hundred outside the main British embassy compound in Tehran, scaled the gates, broke the locks and went inside; Kazinform cites China Daily.
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