London , England ( CNN ) -- Reports that Iran has sentenced a British embassy employee to four years in prison are `` deeply concerning , '' British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Thursday . Hossein Rassam `` is a hardworking embassy official '' who was `` doing work that was wholly within the boundaries of diplomatic work , '' Miliband said at a news conference in Brussels , Belgium . The reported sentence is `` wholly unjustified and represents further harassment of embassy staff for going about their normal and legitimate duties , '' Miliband had said earlier , in a statement issued Wednesday . Rassam is one of several British embassy employees arrested in the wake of Iran 's disputed June 12 presidential election . Thousands of Iranians took to the streets to protest the official results declaring President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner . Iran accused Britain and the United States of fomenting the unrest . Rassam was put on trial in August . The European Union , France and the United Kingdom denounced the proceeding . Rassam 's lawyer has not officially been informed of the embassy worker 's sentence , and he does not know where Rassam is , he told Iranian media . Abdolsamad Khorramshahi told the Fars News Agency that the terms of Rassam 's bail did not prevent him from leaving the country . He said Rassam had been in Iran recently , but he did not know his current whereabouts . He said he could not express an opinion on the verdict before the court officially informs him of it , which he said normally happens after it is issued . The European Union condemned the reported verdict as `` unjustified and harsh , '' and urged `` the Iranian authorities to overturn it swiftly , '' the Swedish presidency of the 27-nation bloc said in a statement Thursday . `` Any action against one EU country ( a citizen or member of embassy staff ) is considered an action against the entire EU , and will be treated accordingly , '' the statement said . France also condemned the sentencing of Rassam . Miliband said he understood the sentence could be appealed and urged `` the authorities to conduct this quickly and overturn this harsh sentence . '' `` This will be seen as an attack against the entire diplomatic community in Iran , '' he said in a statement late Wednesday . The Foreign Office summoned the Iranian ambassador to London , and Britain 's envoy in Tehran spoke to Iran 's deputy foreign minister , Miliband said .
European Union , France and the UK denounced the trial of Rassam . Rassam one of several UK embassy employees after unrest in June . The EU has said it will not recognise any Palestinian state until a peace deal is reached with Israel.