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Two opposition student organisations in Iran have condemned the storming of the British embassy, claiming those behind it were associated with the Islamic regime.

Tahkim Vahdat and Advar Tahkim, groups with some influence among Iranian students, have issued separate statements criticising the attack that triggered one of the worst crises in bilateral ties between Tehran and London since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"The office of Tahkim Vahdat condemns the attack at the British embassy – the attackers were not true representative of Iranian students, they were affiliated with the authorities in power," the statement said, according to Kalame.com, a website close to the opposition leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

"The [local] media portrayed the attackers as a group of students but people associated with pressure groups and some forces from the revolutionary guards were seen among them who have no affiliation to students," it added.

Tahkim Vahdat was originally created in the aftermath of the Islamic revolution as a conservative Islamist student organisation aimed at combating secular movements. At the time, many of its members were involved in the seizure of the US embassy and the hostage crisis.

But after the election in 1997 of former reformist president Mohammad Khatami, it experienced a major shake-up and supported pro-democracy movements, especially in the events after the disputed presidential elections i... >>>