Britain is withdrawing a portion of its diplomatic staff from Iran after protesters stormed the British embassy in Tehran. On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters overran two diplomatic buildings, chanting “Death to Britain” and setting fire to the British flag and a car. The incident came one week after the British government cut all relations with Iran’s financial sector as part of new sanctions coordinated with the United States and Canada. Norway has also closed its embassy due to security concerns. In Washington, President Obama criticized the storming of the embassy.

President Obama: “For rioters essentially to be able to overrun the embassy and set it on fire is an indication that the Iranian government is not taking its international obligations seriously. And so, obviously, we’re deeply concerned about that situation, and we expect to see some sort of definitive action some time very quickly.”