Even as Geoffrey Adams, the ambassador, was warned that Britain must halt its “tirade of allegations” against Iran, the country’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to retaliate against the UN in response to sanctions imposed last week.

The vote came as the US announced the arrest of senior Iranian military officials inside Iraq and further fuelled fears over Tehran’s growing influence in the region.

Mr Adams was called in to a tense confrontation with Ebrahim Rahimpour, the Iranian Foreign Minister, over comments made by Mr Blair during a Middle East tour this month.

During a speech in Dubai on December 20, the Prime Minister called for moderate governments in the region to help to rein in the “forces of extremism” in Iran. He accused Tehran of undermining regional stability and of being an obstacle to peace.

“Tony Blair has brought up baseless charges against Iran to cover up his failure in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East, but to no avail,” Mr Rahimpour was reported to have told Mr Adams. The Foreign Ministry said that Iran had voiced its “strong objections” over Mr Blair’s comments.

The meeting came as the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear programme intensified between Iran and the UN Secur-ity Council. Four days after the Security Council imposed limited sanctions on Tehran for its refusal to cease uranium enrichment, the Iranian parliament voted to “revise its cooperation” with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog.

The text of the Bill, backed by the conservative-controlled Iranian parliament by 161 votes to 15, also calls on the Government to accelerate the country’s nuclear programme.

The US, Britain, France and Germany, have repeatedly expressed their belief that Iran’s civilian nuclear programme is a cover for the development of nuclear weapons. Tehran insists that its pursuit of nuclear technology is peaceful.

Although the parliamentary move was the latest provocation from Tehran over the nuclear issue, it stopped short of recommending a severing of relations with the IAEA, which some hardliners in Iran had demanded.

But Gholam Ali Hadad Adel, the parliamentary Speaker, cautioned that cutting ties with the IAEA and withdrawing from the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty were still options.

France criticised the move, saying that it was “not what we expected from Iran”. Denis Simonneau, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman, said: “We renew our call for Iran to respect its commitments and obligations and co-operate actively with the IAEA.”

President Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that those who backed the UN resolution, which was drawn up by Britain, France and Germany but supported unanimously by the Security Council, would soon regret their “superficial act”. Mr Ahmadinejad also hinted that the resolution, which he said was a “piece of torn paper”, would alter Iran’s relationship with the IAEA.

After weeks of diplomatic wrangling, the Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution that imposes restrictions on Iran’s nuclear industry and ballistic missile programme.

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