Iran complains to Iraq over actions of UK troops

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iran's consul in the Iraqi city of Basra accused British forces of surrounding the consulate on Thursday and firing into the air in a provocative act at a time of heightened tension between the two countries.

But the British military denied any aggressive action and said the shots heard came from a British convoy that was ambushed in the same street as the consulate in central Basra.

Iranian consul Mohammed Reza Baghban said: "They came at 10 a.m. and surrounded the consulate. After 20 minutes they started shooting in different directions. They are trying to irritate us because of the issue of the capture of the British soldiers, but this behavior will make the issue worse."

Iran said it had complained to the Iraqi government about the incident.

"It (Iran) emphasized the responsibility of the sides in charge in Iraq for providing security for the workers of the consulate," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The British military spokesman in Basra, Major David Gell, confirmed there was an incident near the consulate but said it was "geographical coincidence".

"A vehicle approached the rear of one of our convoys. A number of rounds were fired. The vehicles returned fire. Nobody dismounted and the vehicle disappeared," he said, adding that a British patrol had also been in the area.

"There is absolutely no linkage with the location other than geographical coincidence. There was no encirclement and no rounds were fired in the air."

An Iraqi policeman stationed at the consulate told Reuters there had been no incident outside the building. A shopowner in the street said troops in the British convoy had opened fire on a house about 200 meters from the consulate after gunfire appeared to come from it. A Reuters journalist saw bullet holes in the house.

An Iraqi man who was inside the consulate applying for a visa, said: "We heard intense gunfire. It has nothing to do with the consulate. British forces are often targeted in this area."

Iranian forces captured 15 British sailors and marines last week saying they had trespassed in its waters, but Britain says they were conducting routine checks of shipping in Iraqi waters in the waterway that forms the southern border of Iran and Iraq.

(Additional reporting by Edmund Blair in Tehran)