A young French academic and local employees of the British and French embassies appeared before an Iranian judge Saturday along with dozens of opposition figures accused of involvement in the country's postelection unrest, AP reported. The extraordinary mass trial in Tehran's Revolutionary Court demonstrates the government's resolve to discredit Iran's pro-reform movement as a tool of foreign countries _ particularly Britain and the United States _ trying to spark a revolution to topple Iran's Islamic system. The appearance of the British Embassy employee appeared to catch Britain off guard, and the Foreign Office in London promised a response to what it called «this latest outrage.» The defendants stand accused of crimes including rioting, spying and plotting a «soft overthrow» of the regime after the disputed June 12 presidential election. Iran's opposition and the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets after the election denounced official results that declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner. The government has been eager to show that the outpouring was not the result of internal unrest but foreign interference. During the session, a prosecutor read out an indictment saying the U.S. and Britain had plans to foment the unrest with the aim of toppling Iran's Islamic rulers through a «soft overthrow,» the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. -- SPA
