TEHRAN, 10 September 2003 — Shots were fired outside the British Embassy here early yesterday in the second such incident in six days, sparking an angry diplomatic protest and fueling a crisis in relations between London and Tehran.

The embassy said three to four shots were fired from the street “at or near to” the embassy building at 0055 a.m. (2025 GMT) in the early hours of the morning. There were no injuries and no immediate sign of any damage to the city centre compound.

“The embassy has strongly protested to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The security precautions taken by Iranian authorities since the last shooting did not prevent this latest incident,” embassy spokesman Andrew Greenstock said.

“We consider this a further failure in the duty of the host country to protect the embassy under the Vienna Convention,” he added, demanding an immediate investigation into the incident and the arrest of those responsible.

“Our guards heard the shots, and witnesses outside saw two men on a motorbike,” Greenstock said.

There was no immediate reaction from Iranian officials.

After the embassy was targeted and hit by gunmen on Sept. 3, Britain’s Foreign Office authorized the voluntary departure of non-essential members of staff and dependants.

The embassy has been carrying out “limited functions” since the first attack and this situation would remain in place, the Foreign Office in London said.

The attacks come amid a severe souring of relations between London and Tehran over the arrest in Britain last month of a former Iranian ambassador to Argentina, Hadi Soleimanpur.

Soleimanpur was arrested in northeast England on an extradition request from Buenos Aires, which accuses him of taking part in a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina that killed 85 people.

Iran’s ambassador to London, Morteza Sarmadi, was called home after the arrest last week for “consultations”. On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Sarmadi was returning to his post, but warned relations with Britain would only worsen unless Soleimanpur was released.