Iran severs U.K. ties over Rushdie

Press, 8 March 1989, Page 8

Iran severs U.K. ties over Rushdie

NZPA-Reuter Nicosia Iran announced last evening it had broken diplomatic relations with Britain over the Salman Rushdie affair. The official Irna news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry statement as saying the break in ties came at the end of a one-week deadline for Britain “to clarify its stand” after Rushdie was accused of blasphemy against the Islamic faith. British leaders had admitted that Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” was offensive to Muslims, but they defended the Indian-born British author’s right to publish it.

Britain had demanded that Teheran lift a death order against Rushdie imposed by Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeiny. The Foreign Ministry statement announced the severing of relations at 8 p.m. yesterday (N.Z. time).

Britain has already withdrawn its five diplomats from Teheran and ordered home the Iranian diplomats in London. The other 11 European Community countries also recalled their heads of mission from Teheran in protest against Ayatollah Khomeiny’s death order, first issued on February 14.

Yesterday’s announcement in Teheran will complicate any future effort to restore normal relations with London and could jeopardise negotiations for the freeing of British hostages in Lebanon.

“In the past two centuries Britain has been in the front line of plots and treachery against Islam and Muslims,” the Foreign Ministry statement said. It said that over the years Britain had worked against Islamic movements in Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, Iran and other Islamic countries