Iran: Guests arrested at French embassy

Iranian security forces allegedly arrested guests arriving at a party hosted by the French ambassador in Tehran and struck a diplomat in the face, a French official said yesterday.

French officials summoned Iran's ambassador to Paris to lodge a complaint, the official said. The incidents on Sunday were the latest signal of tensions between France and Iran, whose relations have been strained, largely because of France's tough stand on Iran's nuclear programme.

Only about a third of the 130 guests were allowed to enter the party. An unknown number of people were taken away in trucks.