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 post-election unrest. 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 US – trying to spark a revolution. 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. During the session, a prosecutor read out an indictment saying the US and Britain had plans to foment the unrest with the aim of toppling Iran's rulers. The indictment also accused the two powers of providing financial assistance to Iran's reformists. Saturday's hearing was the second in a trial that started a week ago, although it was a new group of defendants facing the judge. During Saturday's session, Hossein Rassam, a political analyst at the British Embassy arrested shortly after the start of the unrest, told the court that Britain was involved in fomenting the unrest, according the IRNA news agency. He said a budget of about $500,000 had been allocated to establish contacts with Iranian political groups, influential individuals and activists, IRNA reported. In London, Britain's Foreign Office called his appeared unacceptable and said it contradicted assurances it had been given by senior Iranian officials. Eight other British Embassy staffers arrested along with Rassam were released after about a week in custody. Among those seated in the front row at Saturday's hearing was a 23-year-old French academic, Clotilde Reiss, who was reportedly arrested July 1 at Tehran airport. She told the court that she made a mistake by attending a demonstration. Nazak Afshar, a local employee of the French Embassy in Tehran, also told the court she was involved in post-election unrest. Iranian defendants appearing Saturday included Ali Tajernia, a former reformist lawmaker; Shahaboddin Tabatabaei, a prominent leader of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, Iran's largest reformist political party; and Ahmad Zeidabadi.
