TEHRAN // A prominent Iranian cleric has sharply criticised the storming of the British embassy in Tehran by hundreds of pro-regime protesters, calling the attack "illegal," media reports said yesterday.
"I explicitly say that I am against attacking embassies and occupying them," Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.
"Attacking an embassy and occupying it is like invading a country and is illegal," said the cleric, who is close to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mr Khatami stated, however, that "we must not compare" the storming of the British embassy with the 1979 taking of the US embassy in Tehran, which resulted in US-Iranian diplomatic ties being broken off entirely.
His comments were the strongest reaction yet to the coordinated incursions of Britain's embassy and a second diplomatic compound in Tehran on Tuesday by hundreds of pro-regime protesters.
Iranian officials have asserted that the protesters acted spontaneously in anger at Britain slapping new sanctions on Iran's financial sector over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
Another senior cleric, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, on Saturday said it was possible that "elements" had infiltrated the protesters to prompt the backlash against Iran. Iran's regime, however, has been mixing defiance with defensiveness.
Parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, notably, has defended the embassy protesters, saying their action was understandable given anger over "the domineering policy" of Britain.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Specs
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Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia