TEHRAN, July 6: An Iranian plan to bury the remains of some of its war dead in its embassy in one of London's most swanky neighbourhoods has sparked yet another row with Britain, an official said on Tuesday.

Iran's Sacred Defence Preservation Foundation - the body that guards the memory of soldiers who died in the 1980-88 war with Iraq - said that it was trying to send a number of "unknown martyrs" for burial at the Islamic republic's mission in South Kensington.

"Iranians across Europe told us that they wanted to commemorate those who defended Iran, and they wanted a place to go on Sundays," explained Daoud Ghiasirad, head of public relations for the foundation.

"But the British have refused," he complained, describing this as "unfair" given that a British diplomatic residential compound in Tehran contain the graves of British troops who died in Iran during the two World Wars.

"We have every right to do the same under international law and customs," Mr Ghiasirad asserted. The British embassy here said it was unaware of such a request having been made, let alone rejected, but nevertheless said the idea of having Iranian corpses sent over to London in Iran's diplomat baggage for burial was "not something that is very customary".

"As far as we know, no official request has been made. If there is a request, it will be forwarded to the relevant local authorities," a British diplomat said.

He also pointed out that the hundreds of British and Commonwealth troops buried in a British compound here had merely "been laid to rest in the country where they fell".

Close to a million people - most of them Iranians - died in the Iran-Iraq war, and the remains of identified soldiers are still being dug up today. As recently as a week ago, some 200 bodies were recovered from the border area with Iraq.

The remains of unknown soldiers are buried in special cemeteries across the Islamic republic, and even in locations such as universities, parks and government buildings. Britain and Iran have recently suffered a fresh downturn in their relations.

Last month eight British soldiers were detained for three days and paraded blindfold on television after allegedly straying into Iranian territorial waters along the Shatt al-Arab waterway which demarcates Iran's border with British-occupied southern Iraq.

Britain has complained that the troops were forced into Iranian waters, and is demanding the hardline Revolutionary Guards also return the unit's three boats and equipment.

Also last month, British was the co-sponsor of a resolution passed at the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that criticized Iran for failing to show full transparency over its suspect nuclear programme.

Iran's diplomacy with Britain is also no stranger to hiccups. In the early 1980s, the road behind the British embassy in Tehran was renamed from "Winston Churchill" to "Bobby Sands Street", in honour of the late IRA hunger striker. Iran continues to turn down British requests to change the name back.

The British embassy here has also more recently been pelted with rocks and home-made bombs during protests against the US-led occupation of Iraq and the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. -AFP