Sigh...they've done it now. "There will be serious consequences". I suppose this means we'll be dragged into another conflict. Now can anyone tell me why Iranian students have decided to risk the wrath of Cameron and attack the UK Embassy? We've obviously offended them. What do they know that is not being reported by the UK media...
Viv , At this early stage and given sparse detail information , I am inclined to have little sympathy for us ( Team GB) . We provoked by announcing latest and more severe sanctions. Why on earth would we want to steal Israel's ground and presumably supported by the US -- as ever ? Against that , we are a savvy operator and this error is so crass that I wonder if there is more to come and that the greater picture will reveal this incident as a deliberate ploy to incite the Iran Government ( they sanctioned it) to make an even bigger blunder . I know that everybody is expecting and are poised to oversee punitive action against Iran -- whether directly from Israel or in tandem with Us support -- but this does seem a chaotic start .
That's hardly the point . The point is not whether their assets could be useful , that has been known for at least 50 years . Nor is it whether the US will steal those assets -- that has been part of official US geopolitical strategy for 9 years . The point is , what has this pathetic little spat got to do with the big picture ?
Crazy Iranians stormin' the embassy again UK warns Iran after embassy stormed 29 November 2011 - Riot police took several hours to remove protesters from the embassy compound See also: US, UN Condemn Attack on British Embassy in Tehran November 29, 2011 - The United States and the U.N. Security Council have joined Britain in condemning Tuesdays mob attack on the British embassy in Tehran. U.S. officials say the incident may mean that nuclear-related sanctions on Iran are beginning to have a serious impact.
Exactly. Could someone list other countries who've imposed the financial sanctions, so we can cross reference against other embassy attacks? The reality is that the British and Americans have a long history of interferring in Iran and its internal affairs. The Brits seem to forget this, but the Iranians have longer memories. I'm glad the British government has been reminded that it cannot go around the world (although for decades Iran has been a very common place to visit), inteferring, meddling in affairs it has no place.
We provoked? Notwithstanding the public face and info are spin and anything which doesn't suit political will is not really going to publicised, still we are led to believe there are reasons which provoked the sanctions. Iranian nuclear weapons development... The sanctions are said to be affecting Iranian banking. But is that a reason to storm the Bastille so early in the process? These things normally take some time to filter down and affect the people directly enough to trigger a response like this. And why UK? France has suggested the EU ban Iranian oil. I have to say my first thought was yours, justification. Mixing it within Iran in order to justify going in there. For oil and/or for political reasons. We do have a very long history in involvement in ME affairs. I don't see why that would end now that they have something we need, do you?
It wasn't the government who went into the Embassy, it was the public. The police simply stood by and watched. For France, if they haven't imposed a ban, they've done nothing. Again, I'd like to have a list of all other countries who've actually impose additional restrictions on Iran. I haven't read of anyone else, and thus assume the UK has just placed itself in a bad position. Of course not. I just can't help but wonder why successive UK governments, both left and right follow the same agressive stance. We're further away from Iran than almost any other European country, yet consistently it's the UK to get all hot and bothered and take action.
Iranian diplomats persona non grata in England... UK to expel all Iranian diplomats over embassy attack 30 November 2011 - Foreign Secretary William Hague: "We require the immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in London" See also: Britain Withdrawing Some Embassy Staff After Iranians Ransack Its Compound November 30, 2011 — Britain set in motion the withdrawal of some diplomatic staff and families from Tehran on Wednesday as Iran's parliament speaker blamed Britain's "domination-seeking" policies for the storming of British compounds by hard-line Iranian protesters the day before.
