Foreign Office staff attended a celebration at the Iranian embassy marking the 1979 Islamic revolution, despite the Tehran regime having killed thousands of its own citizens in the preceding weeks.The event took place on February 12 at the embassy in London, where guests heard the Iranian ambassador praise his country’s achievements.Campaign groups opposing the regime estimate that as many as 30,000 demonstrators lost their lives after taking to the streets to demand an end to nearly five decades of theocratic rule.By the date of the embassy gathering, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, based in the United States, calculated that at least 7,000 people had already perished, among them 219 children.Dame Priti Patel, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, branded the attendance “disgraceful,” arguing that officials had effectively paid tribute to the Islamic revolution while the Iranian government was slaughtering tens of thousands of its own people.She told The Telegraph: “Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of international terrorism. It has plotted terror attacks and assassinations on our own soil. And it has bathed the streets of cities across Iran in the blood of a generation of freedom fighters.”The Conservative frontbencher accused Labour of mishandling foreign policy on Iran, drawing parallels with the government’s approach to China.Celebrations were held at the Embassy in London | GETTYDame Priti added: “Keir Starmer lacks the backbone to stand up for our country and our allies, and his weakness is an embarrassment to Britain.”Video footage released by the embassy captured smartly attired guests standing in silence as Iran’s national anthem played.A prominent banner was displayed, featuring images of Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader subsequently killed in US-Israeli strikes, and his predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini. Ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi delivered an address lauding the regime whilst criticising Western sanctions as “unjust”.Iranian Ambassador to the UK Seyed Ali Mousavi praised the regimeHe said: “For nearly half a century, Iran has faced relentless pressure; from the eight-year imposed war and severe sanctions to acts of sabotage and terrorism.”Nevertheless, by relying on domestic capabilities, national cohesion and empowered human resources, it has achieved significant progress.”Iranian state media celebrated the presence of Foreign Office personnel and unnamed parliamentary representatives at the gathering.A Foreign Office spokesman defended the attendance as routine diplomatic practice, emphasising that maintaining relations with nations worldwide was central to the department’s role.Priti Patel branded the attendance “disgraceful,” | PAA spokesman for the Foreign Office told The Telegraph: “It is the job of the Foreign Office to maintain diplomatic relations with countries across the globe, and it is standard practice as part of that engagement for the UK to be represented at these kind of national day events.”The event in question has been regularly attended by Foreign Office officials under successive governments since the Iranian embassy in London reopened in 2015.”Diplomatic engagement of this kind is a normal part of how we protect our interests and people overseas, including those UK nationals who are currently being detained in Iran.”