Iranian consul in Basra says office surrounded, shots fired in air by UK troops

A British soldier during patrols in Basra in February

BAGHDAD -- The Iranian consul in Basra charged Thursday that British soldiers had surrounded his office in the southern city and fired shots into the air. Britain denied the allegation.

The allegation comes at a critical period in the crisis over Iran's seizure of 15 British sailors and marines.

The Ministry of Defense in London said the shooting was an exchange of gunfire after British troops on a foot patrol near the Iranian consulate were ambushed.

But Iranian Consul-General Mohammed Ridha Nasir Baghban said British forces had engaged in a "provocative act" that "could worsen the situation of the British sailors."

Read the rest at the Washington Post

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