The World - News from June 11, 1987

Britain took new action in its dispute with Iran over the mistreatment of its diplomats, giving Tehran two weeks to reduce the number of its representatives in London from 18 to 16, the Foreign Office said. In the quarrel over the alleged beating of one of its diplomats in Tehran, London recently expelled five Iranian diplomats from Britain. Iran retaliated by ordering five British envoys out of Iran. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The objective is not a tit-for-tat retaliation. It is to put our relationship with Iran on a healthier footing.”