Iran fires Britain, France, and Germany ambassadors

The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fired his country’s ambassadors to Britain, France, and Germany, a government official told Iran Focus.

“Ahmadinejad has been angered by what he sees as the envoys’ meek reaction to the global condemnation of his Wednesday speech against Israel and the West”, the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the President “made the speech with the full blessing of the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] and has his green light to stifle any dissenting voice within the government”.

Ahmadinejad also ordered 18 envoys to be recalled to Tehran.

The Commander in Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, the Speaker of Parliament, the Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council and the powerful Minister of Intelligence and Security (Iran’s secret police) endorsed the President Ahmadinejad’s speech in which he said that Israel must be “wiped out”. They also made equally strong invectives against what they usually refer to as the “Zionist enemy”.

“The Supreme Leader and his inner council see a window of opportunity for Iran right now, as the Americans are stuck in Iraq and the Europeans are divided over what to do”, he said.

They’re “telling everyone not to be afraid of threats of military action by the West, as this is only a bluff,” he added.

European leaders on the other hand strongly condemned the Iranian President’s remarks.

Leaders of EU countries, Russia and the United States condemned the comments attributed to Ahmadinejad. Iranian envoys in European capitals were summoned to explain the remarks, Reuters news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called on expelling Iran from the United Nations.

"A country that calls for the destruction of another people cannot be a member of the United Nations," a statement from the prime minister's office quoted the Israeli PM as saying.

"Such a country that has nuclear weapons is a danger, not only to Israel and the Middle East, but also to Europe," he said in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.