Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Prime Minister Gordon Brown continue to comment on the outcome of the Iranian elections. During a statement on 13 June the Foreign Secretary said:

'We have followed carefully, and admired, the passion and debate during the Iranian election campaign. I have this afternoon spoken to our Ambassador in Tehran. We note the result as announced by the Iranian Electoral Commission.

We have also heard the concerns about the counting of ballots expressed by two of the candidates. This is a matter for the Iranian authorities to address. We will continue to follow developments. Our priority is that Iran engages with the concerns of the world community, above all on the issue of nuclear proliferation.'

    Prime Minister on Sky News

During an interview with Sky News on Tuesday 16 June the Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:

'Well, elections are a matter for the Iranian people but if there are serious questions that are now being asked about the conduct about the elections, they have got to be answered and there must be no violence in response to peaceful protests.

I think Iran has got to look at this very carefully because the relationship they will have and the respect they will have from the rest of the world will depend on how they respond to what are legitimate grievances that have been expressed and have to be answered.'

    Foreign Secretary on the Today Programme

During an interview on the Radio 4 Today on Tuesday 16 June programme Foreign Secretary David Miliband voiced concern about the aftermath of the election and the  demonstrations taking place in Iran. He said

'I’ve spoken to our ambassador in Tehran this morning. Obviously the most fervent hope is for peaceful protest to be met with peaceful response from the state authorities. The loss of life that’s happened, the seven that have been reported, the credible reports of greater loss of life are to be deplored very, very clearly. Secondly it’s obviously very important that the Iranian people choose their own government. '

Read the transcript of the interview.

    EU External Relations Council

Arriving at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Luxembourg on 15 June, Foreign Secretary David Miliband added:

'We view the implications of recent events in Iran with serious concern.  The very serious doubts that have been raised about the free and fair nature of the election counting process are obviously of major concern to many people in Iran and we continue to follow the situation carefully to gather as many facts as is possible to have.

I think the most striking thing though is that the events of recent days, the blocking of SMS messages, the closing down of television stations, the cancellation of rallies, are in stark contrast to the openness, relatively speaking, of the election campaign itself.

From the point of view of the United Kingdom it is the implications of the decisions that are being made at the top levels of the Iranian regime that are of most concern. We continue to await an Iranian answer to the very generous proposals that were made by the international community in respect of the Iranian nuclear programme and the concerns raised by the IAEA.

We think it’s very important that that proposal is answered by Iranian willingness to sit down and negotiate. I think that in the very short term people will continue to be focused on what seems to be state violence against its own people in Tehran and elsewhere and that’s something obviously that we continue to follow carefully.'

    BBC and Channel 4 interviews

Foreign Secretary David Miliband spoke to Channel 4 News and BBC News about the situation in Iran on 17 June 2009.

On Channel 4, the Foreign Secretary said:

'We deplore the violence and especially the loss of life but we will not end up in a position where anyone can accuse the US or the UK or any Western power of trying to choose the Iranian Government, that’s not our job.'

Watch the Channel 4 interview.

Read the full transcript of BBC News interview.

    Foreign Secretary lays out the UK's approach to the developing situation in Iran in his latest blog post

    Foreign Secretary responds to the Iranian Foreign Minister's remarks

    Prime Minister says it's up to Iran to show the world that elections have been conducted fairly