Seven Iranians appear in UK court charged with assault after embassy incident

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LONDON (Reuters) -Seven Iranian nationals appeared in a British court on Monday accused of attacking a pro-Tehran demonstrator near the Iranian embassy in London last week.

The seven men, aged between 30 and 50, are charged with intentionally causing grievous bodily harm to one person outside the Iranian embassy on Friday.

Their lawyers told Westminster Magistrates’ Court that the seven defendants were opponents of the Iranian government and had been threatened before the incident.

Prosecutor Rachel Hughes said: “The defendants were protesting outside of the Iranian embassy against the current Iranian regime as part of a pro-royalist protest, in which they had placed the Iranian flag on the ground.

“The victim knelt and kissed that flag before running off with it. All the defendants chased after the victim and participated in an attack over a six-minute period.”

Hughes said the complainant remains in hospital with serious injuries including broken ribs, a broken ankle and a suspected bleed on the brain.

Judge Daniel Sternberg denied the seven defendants bail ahead of their next court appearance at Southwark Crown Court on July 21.

Monday’s court hearing comes amid heightened conflict in the Middle East and after the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday.

The last heir to the Iranian monarchy – whose father, the U.S.-backed shah, was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution – on Monday urged Western states to accept the collapse of the Iranian government was necessary to deliver peace and stability.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Andrew Heavens)