LONDON, January 15. /TASS/. The United Kingdom has evacuated its ambassador and all employees of the embassy’s consular department from Tehran amid the current escalation in the Middle East, The Daily Telegraph said.

According to the newspaper, the decision to evacuate diplomats was made after a thorough assessment of the security situation in Iran. The Daily Mirror said earlier, citing a UK government official, that the UK embassy in Tehran had been temporarily closed.

Reuters reported earlier that the United States may launch a military operation against Iran within 24 hours. US President Donald Trump warned earlier that he was seriously considering using force against Iran.

Unrest in Iran began on December 29 after street protests triggered by a sharp fall in the Iranian rial exchange rate, and spread to most major cities. Authorities reported the deaths of 40 law enforcement officers. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, armed terrorists appeared among the demonstrators on January 8. The Iranian authorities blamed Israel and the United States for organizing the unrest.