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Summary France will pull out part of its diplomatic staff from Tehran following attack on Britain embassy.
France is to pull out part of its diplomatic staff from Tehran following the ransacking of Britains embassy this week by a pro-regime mob, adding to the international backlash against an increasingly defensive Iran.The decision -- a temporary precaution, French diplomats said Saturday -- underlined the seriousness of the crisis developing between Iran and the West amid the ratcheting up of sanctions over Tehrans controversial nuclear efforts.Britain has already evacuated all staff from its Tehran embassy following Tuesdays rampage, and ordered Irans mission in London closed.The expelled Iranian diplomats arrived back in Tehran early on Saturday, passing through airport service corridors to avoid media -- and a pro-regime welcoming crowd of 150 yelling Death to Britain.The European Union on Thursday slapped extra sanctions on Iran and warned more could be on the way because of the embassy assault, while the US Congress is poised to pass a law aimed at disrupting Irans oil revenues processed through its central bank.Political tensions are rising in tandem with speculation that Israel is mulling air strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, with or without US backing.Frances decision to downsize its diplomatic representation came after the French, German, Dutch and Italian ambassadors were recalled for consultations on the British embassy assault.Several of Frances embassy personnel will be pulled out in the next few days along with all families and dependants of all the staff, French diplomats told AFP.They did not give precise figures for how many of the roughly 30 diplomats in Tehran would go.The 700-strong French community in Tehran -- mostly Iranian-French dual citizens -- has not received any instructions.
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