Iran has released on bail¹ the last of the British embassy employees arrested in Tehran in connection with last month's election protests.

伊朗已释放上月德黑兰选举抗议活动中逮捕的现已被保释的英国大使馆雇员。

The election sparked weeks of protests by critics of President Ahmadinejad

Hossein Rassam - the embassy's chief political analyst² - was one of nine local embassy staff originally held.

He was charged with inciting³（刺激的，煽动的） the unrest over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election and is due to stand trial（受审）.

Britain has denied Tehran's accusations⁴ that embassy staff had been involved in instigating⁵（教唆，煽动） mass demonstrations⁷.

Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, a lawyer for the released employee, said he had left Tehran's Evin prison, and that bail had been set at about $100,000 (£61,000).

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband welcomed Mr Rassam's release, adding: "The detention⁸（挽留，拘留） of Embassy staff was completely unjustified."

Protest ban

Violent street protests broke out after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected in the 12 June vote.

At least 20 people are thought to have died during weeks of clashes.

All gatherings⁹ were banned and the protests have died down in recent weeks.

Iran has repeatedly accused foreign powers - especially Britain and the US - of stoking（连续烧结） the demonstrations.

Opposition¹⁰ candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi says the vote was rigged in favour of Mr Ahmadinejad.

The president and Iran's main election body, the Council of Guardians¹¹, have rejected the charge.

On Friday former President Ali Akbar Rafsanjani called for the release of jailed protesters.

Speaking at Tehran University, he also said many Iranians still doubted the election results, and that the media should be allowed to discuss the dispute openly.

"It is not necessary to pressure media. We should allow them to work freely within the law," he said.

As Mr Rafsanjani spoke¹², thousands of opposition supporters rallied（集会） near the university - the first opposition demonstration⁶ for more than a week.