Iran expelled the BBC’s correspondent in Tehran yesterday and accused Britain of pouring agents into the country to sabotage the election — a charge denied by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary.

Jon Leyne, the BBC correspondent, was summoned to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, accused of “supporting the rioters” and given 24 hours to leave.

“If various British radio and television networks continue to interfere in our country’s domestic affairs by broadcasting fake and incorrect reports of Iran or ignoring international journalism ethics, there will be more stern action taken,” the Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry said that the BBC and Voice of America were “mouthpieces” for their governments, and accused them of “engineering” the riots. The move came only two days after the BBC announced that it had increased the number of satellites carrying its Farsi-language television service because of Iran’s attempts to block it.

In what appeared to be a concerted attempt by the regime to portray the protesters as pawns of foreign powers, Iran’s state-controlled media also claimed that security forces had arrested a number of Iranian terrorists who were taking orders from London.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, launched the offensive against the “little Satan” last Friday when he labelled Britain the “most treacherous” of the Western powers that were fomenting unrest in Iran.

In a televised address to foreign diplomats yesterday, Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran’s Foreign Minister, said: “Great Britain has plotted against the presidential election for more than two years. We witnessed an influx of people [from Britain] before the election. Elements linked to the British secret service were flying in in droves.”

Hassan Qashqavi, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, accused the BBC and Voice of America of acting as government “command posts engineering the ongoing post-election riots. Any sort of contact with the said channels through e-mail or telephone runs against Iranian national sovereignty and is considered as an act of enmity towards the Iranian nation.”

Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, said that security forces had arrested “terrorists” who were taking orders from the London base of the Mujahedin Khalq Organisation (MKO), a militant Iranian exile group also known as the People’s Mujahedin of Iran that wants to overthrow the regime.

“Those arrested have confessed that after receiving training in Iraq, they entered Iran and were commanded and supported by the hypocrites in Britain,” IRNA said.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President, also issued a warning to Britain and America: “Definitely by hasty remarks you will not be placed in the circle of friendship with the Iranian nation. Therefore I advise you to correct your interfering stances.”

Mr Miliband issued a statement saying: “I reject categorically the idea that the protesters in Iran are manipulated or motivated by foreign countries.” He accused Iran’s Foreign Minister of trying to “turn the dispute among Iranians about election results into a battle between Iran and other countries”.

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