Two local employees of the British Embassy in Iran, who protested against the Iranian presidential election result and were arrested for alleged role in post-election riots in the country, have been released, the British Foreign Office confirmed on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said it had confirmed that two of the embassy staff in Iran had been released over the last two days, adding that it will also seek confirmation about Iranian media reports that a further member of the staff has been released on Wednesday.

The statement said the Foreign Office was continuing "intensive discussions with the Iranian authorities and our international partners to resolve this issue."

Earlier media reports said that nine local staff at the British Embassy in Iran had been arrested for their alleged "considerable role" in the post-election riots.

Iran has repeatedly accused foreign powers, especially Britain and the United States, of stoking unrest in the country after the June 12 presidential election, which handed incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a decisive victory.

(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2009)