WH Condemns Tehran British Embassy Barge-In

PressSec issues statement on storming of the UK's building in Tehran: "Iran has a responsibility to protect the diplomatic missions present in its country."

EARLIER: Crowd of 1,000 breaks down the door to UK building in Tehran, replace British flag with Iranian one.

View a collection of photos from Tehran chosen by TIME's editors here.

Read the WH's full statement below.

The United States condemns in the strongest terms the storming of the British Embassy in Tehran. Iran has a responsibility to protect the diplomatic missions present in its country and the personnel stationed at them. We urge Iran to fully respect its international obligations, to condemn the incident, to prosecute the offenders, and to ensure that no further such incidents take place either at the British Embassy or any other mission in Iran. Our State Department is in close contact with the British government and we stand ready to support our allies at this difficult time.