Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt reiterated the United Kingdom government’s concerns about the ongoing detention of the seven Baha'i leaders in Iran. “In 2010, I discussed human rights issues with the Iranian embassy on five occasions, including the unacceptable persecution of the Baha'is,” he responded to a question put by Madeleine Moon, MP for Bridgend. “Our embassy in Tehran also continues to raise this directly with the Iranian authorities, most recently on 12 December 2010. We will continue to remind Iran of the international commitments it has freely signed up to. We will also urge the Iranian Government to cease its harassment of the Baha'i minority and to respect the rights of other minority groups.”