About a hundred pro-government protesters attempted to attack the Italian embassy in the Iranian capital of Teheran on Tuesday, throwing stones and other objects at the building, according to Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.
Frattini said at a Senate Committee hearing on Iran that some 100 "hostile" protesters threw eggs and stones at the Italian Embassy in Teheran on Tuesday. He added that the agitated protesters were prevented from entering the embassy premises by the Iranian police.
He said that those involved in Tuesday's attack were members of the pro-government Basij militia, adding that the militia men were dressed as civilians and were shouting slogans against Italy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi while attempting to assault the embassy building.
Noting that there was no "significant damage" to the building in Tuesday's attack, Frattini told the lawmakers in the Senate Committee that there were no immediate plans to close down the embassy following the incident.
He said that Italy has canceled its attendance at the celebrations that would be held in Tehran on Thursday to mark the 31st anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, adding that "contacts are under way at the European level" for sending a "signal of strong concern" over Tuesday's incidents.
Despite Frattini's claims, the Iranian media on Tuesday downplayed the alleged attack on the Italian embassy in Tehran. However, it was acknowledged that some Iranian students had held a demonstration outside the Italian embassy to protest against the actions of the Italian government in supporting Israel and "interfering in Iran's internal affairs".
They were apparently referring to the remarks made by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi during a visit to Jerusalem last week that his government would support international efforts to impose sanctions on Iran for its defiance over the nuclear issue and would cut down Italy's economic dealings with Iran.
Italy is currently Iran's biggest trading partner in the European Union. Following Berlusconi's remarks, Iranian Foreign Ministry had summoned the Italian ambassador to protest the Italian Prime Minister's comments made in Israel.
The latest developments comes as the western nations are pushing for enforcing new UN sanctions on Iran for its continued defiance of international concerns on its disputed nuclear program and refusal to accept fully a UN-proposed deal aimed at resolving the issue.
The UN-proposed deal envisaged shipping low-enriched Iranian uranium to Russia for further enrichment and then to France for conversion into actual fuel for Teheran's medical-purpose reactor that makes isotopes.
It was seen as an amicable solution to the issue, as it would provide Iran the nuclear fuel it requires to run its research reactor while guaranteeing the West that Tehran will not have enough nuclear material to convert into finer-grade uranium required for making nuclear weapons.
Despite an indication late last week that it was ready to send enriched uranium abroad in exchange for more highly-enriched fuel to produce medical isotopes, Tehran announced Monday that it would begin enriching uranium to 20% from Tuesday and build 10 new uranium enrichment plants in the next year.
Teheran, however, indicated Tuesday that it would halt its enrichment program once the UN-proposed nuclear deal that allows Iran to send low-enriched uranium abroad to be converted into 20% enriched uranium is concluded.
Though Iran insists that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful civilian power production purposes, the West suspects it a cover up for the Islamic country's nuclear weapon ambitions. Iran has already survived three sets of sanctions imposed on it by the UN Security Council following refusal to halt its nuclear development work.
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