China called for calmness and restraint as Britain ordered the closure of Iran's embassy in London following Iranian protestors' attacks on the British mission in Tehran.

"We hope the countries involved will keep calm, rational and restrained to avoid emotional actions that can intensify the conflict," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei at a press briefing Thursday.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday he had ordered the immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in London and demanded all its staff leave Britain within 48 hours.

France, Germany and the Netherlands said they were recalling their ambassadors in Tehran for consultations.

Hong said China has "taken note of" the aggressive responses toward the incident that happened earlier this week in Iran's capital and is concerned with the development of the situation.

Thousands of angry Iranian demonstrators broke into two British embassy compounds on November 29, burning British flags and a car, following Iran's decision on Sunday to downgrade its diplomatic ties with Britain in response to its newly imposed financial sanctions against Tehran.

During the briefing, Hong also urged the relevant countries to abide by the fundamentals of international relations and to "address conflicts and disagreements through dialogue and consultation with consideration for the long-term situation."

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2011)