Iranian says relations with U.K. at risk

TEHRAN, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Iran will downgrade relations with Britain in retaliation for insulting behavior, an official said Sunday.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of Parliament's foreign policy committee, told the government's Press TV, "This is a decision the Majlis (Parliament) has to make. The general mood in the Majlis toward Britain is negative, but relations will be, at the very least, downgraded."

Britain already has recalled its ambassador to Iran, Simon Gass.

Iran says it has considered breaking relations several times over incidents like British spy chief John Sawers' accusation that it is conducting secret nuclear activities.

"Stopping nuclear proliferation cannot be addressed purely by conventional diplomacy. We need intelligence-led operations to make it more difficult for countries like Iran to develop nuclear weapons," Sawers said in October.

Soon after his statement, an Iranian nuclear scientist was killed by a car bomb.

Iran also protested comments about human rights that Gass made in December.