Kremlin voices concern over its Tehran embassy

The Soviet Union, saying its Tehran embassy could suffer the same fate as the occupied US mission, has called on Iran to prevent attempts to seize it by "elements hostile to Moscow." A surprise statement from the Soviet Union's Tehran embassy, reported Monday by the Tass news agency in Moscow, said: "There is information to the effect that elements hostile to the Soviet Union intend to carry out provocative acts against the USSR Embassy in the Islamic Republic of Iran, even going so far as to seize it."

The agency gave no details of the alleged plan to seize the embassy. But in Tehran, Foreign Minister Sadeq Ghotbzadeh said all necessary steps had been taken to ensure the mission's safety.

The announcement by the Soviets, who had until recently kept their dealings with Iran secret, marked the lowest point in relations between the Kremlin and Tehran since the Islamic revolution in February last year.