Iranian Diplomats in London Given 48 Hours to Leave by Foreign Secretary
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November 30, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Foreign Secretary tells Iranian diplomats to leave and closes Iranian Embassy, while ordering British Diplomats to return to the UK.
Today the foreign secretary, William Hague, has announced that Iranian diplomats working in the UK have 48 hours to leave the country. The Iranian embassy in London is to be closed down immediately.
He stated: “If any country makes it impossible for us to operate on their soil they cannot expect to have a functioning embassy here.”
The decision was made with response to an incident that occurred last Tuesday, according to the BBC, when the British embassy came under siege from Iranian protesters. The British government made a decision to bring personnel working in the British embassy in Tehran home amid fears for their safety.
A group of protesters, including members of the parliamentary basij brigade, under the charge of the Revolutionary Guards, stormed the embassy and a private residential compound, Qolhak Gardens. They were chanting: “Death to England.”
The protesters reportedly ripped down the gilded UK crest and took down the Union Jack. They replaced the British flag with the Iranian one. They also reportedly threw satellite dishes off the roof, smashed windows, scattered paper in front of the building and set fire to US, UK and Israeli flags.
There are reports that British diplomatic personnel working in the embassy fled and locked themselves in their offices for safety. About a dozen were pinned down by the crowds. No one was seriously injured during the incident.
Police gained control by late evening and Tehran’s chief policeman, Hossein Sajedinia, has announced that many will be prosecuted.
British Prime Minister David Cameron called an emergency meeting in London to discuss the incident. A statement made by the prime minister on Number 10’s official website read:
“The attack on the British Embassy in Tehran today was outrageous and indefensible. The failure of the Iranian government to defend British staff and property was a disgrace.”
Foreign secretary William Hague said: “The United Kingdom takes this irresponsible action extremely seriously. It amounts to a grave breach of the Vienna convention which requires the protection of diplomats and diplomatic premises under all circumstances. We hold the Iranian government responsible for its failure to take adequate measures to protect our embassy, as it is required to do.”
The attack on the British embassy came after the British government had announced that it would cut all banking ties with Iran. This is the first time that the UK has severed itself financially from another country.
The United States and Canada have also recently placed sanctions against the gulf state’s central bank. The sanctions were put in place in response to a UN report which stated that Iran had conducted tests that were “relevant to the development of a nuclear device”.
Whether the protesters were specifically protesting against the sanctions is unclear.
Iran has said that it “regretted the incident [the embassy siege]” caused by the “unacceptable behaviour by a small number of protesters”. Many of the protesters are said to be students.
The Norwegian government, which has five workers stationed in Tehran, has also made a decision to close the Norwegian embassy in Tehran and bring its workers home due to safety fears raised by the attack on the British embassy.
The Norwegian foreign minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere, told Danmark Radio’s (DR) news: “The trouble at the British embassy in Tehran is completely unacceptable. It is the Iranian minister’s responsibility to protect foreign ambassadors and their personnel.”
By Louisa Guise
[Image courtesy of kamshots]
