British Embassy in Teheran Occupied
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) requires the receiving State to defend accredited missions, which, paradoxically are Sovereign territory of the sending State. The US is one of the few countres that routinely deploys military personnel to defend its overseas missions (and with good justification). AFAIR, the UK hasn't doen this since the days of the Boxer Rebellion with the exception of RMP CP teams; amongst other reasons, having your own troops in someone else's country - especially if it is a potential hostile nation (eg IRoI) is extremely problematical, as the troops do not normally receive diplomatic accreditation - at best they get A&T accreditation which is typically 'lifed' and only affords immunity during their working hours, thus they would be open to be harrassed off-duty &c...ad nauseum.
Imagine, if you will, what would have happened yesterday if British troops defending the British Embassy on Bobby Sands Street (for that is the name!) open fired on the demonstrators? Next thing tanks would be rolling against Her Britannic Majesty's Embassy - and its staff.
Imagine, if you will, what would have happened yesterday if British troops defending the British Embassy on Bobby Sands Street (for that is the name!) open fired on the demonstrators? Next thing tanks would be rolling against Her Britannic Majesty's Embassy - and its staff.
It is fairly short-sighted not to try to understand why this is happening. Only the ignorant think all Iranians are a bunch of terrorists - they're not at all. Most Iranians are well educated, literate, and understand what is going on in the world around them. They are genuinely angry about western hypocrisy over a number of issues - eg turning a blind eye to Israel's repeated violations of international law, double standards towards regimes in Saudi/Syria, amongst others. I fully understand why young Iranians are angry, and why they want their country to stand up against these unfair standards. There is a total failure of western politicians to recognise what is actually going on in Iran right now.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
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Most Iranians are well educated, literate, and understand what is going on in the world around them. They are genuinely angry about western hypocrisy over a number of issues - eg turning a blind eye to Israel's repeated violations of international law,
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Whatever, happy to see Tehran turned into a glass car park forthwith! 
Out Of Trim,
"Whatever, happy to see Tehran turned into a glass car park forthwith "
What a very strange and rather sad post. Happy to see mass murder, happy to see millions of innocents die.
Sick.
"Whatever, happy to see Tehran turned into a glass car park forthwith
"What a very strange and rather sad post. Happy to see mass murder, happy to see millions of innocents die.
Sick.
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Only relevant if you want to associate with others in that world.
A goat herder who can count his goats and work out payment in goats
in literate in his world.
A goat herder who can count his goats and work out payment in goats
in literate in his world.
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Look at the Iranian prime minister, and you will note that the great unwashed/unshaved/horribly dressed are Iranians!
I spent a couple of weeks in Iran and what is going on there is a tragedy for the majority of Iranians, who despise their regime and the evil it has created, and the image their country presents to the world.
Along with the liberation of Zimbabwe, my letter to father Christmas will be asking for the liberation of Iran too.
"
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The CIA factbook has Iranian literacy at 77% and the number of years schooling a child can expect to receive at 13 years.
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UK expels Iran diplomats after embassy attack | Reuters
Note that the article links this incident with both internal Iranian politics and with the nuclear issue:
By Robin Pomeroy and Mitra Amiri
TEHRAN | Wed Nov 30, 2011 5:50pm EST
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Britain shut Iran's embassy in London and expelled all its staff on Wednesday, saying the storming of the British mission in Tehran could not have taken place without consent from Iranian authorities.
Foreign Secretary William Hague also said the British Embassy in Tehran had been closed and all staff evacuated following the attack on Tuesday by a crowd that ransacked offices and burned British flags in a protest over sanctions imposed by Britain on Tehran.
Iran warned that Britain's closure of the Iranian embassy in London would lead to further retaliation.
Tuesday's incident was the most violent so far as relations between the two countries steadily deteriorate due to Iran's wider dispute with the West over its nuclear program.
Analysts say it also appeared to reflect factionalism within Iran's ruling establishment, a unique hybrid of clerical and secular authority, and efforts by hardliners to undermine President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
On top of its ban on British financial institutions dealing with Iran and its central bank last week, Britain has called for further measures and a diplomatic source said London would now support a ban on oil imports from the Islamic Republic.
Hague said Iranian ambassadors across the European Union had been summoned to receive strong protests over the incident. But Britain stopped short of severing ties with Iran completely.
"The Iranian charge (d'affaires) in London is being informed now that we require the immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in London and that all Iranian diplomatic staff must leave the United Kingdom within the next 48 hours," Hague told parliament.
"We have now closed the British embassy in Tehran. We have decided to evacuate all our staff and as of the last few minutes, the last of our UK-based staff have now left Iran."
France, Germany and the Netherlands said they were recalling their ambassadors for consultations. Germany said it would offer to take over consular duties on behalf of Britain in Tehran.
Hague said it was "fanciful" to think Iranian authorities could not protect the British embassy, or that the assault could have taken place without "some degree of regime consent."
TEHRAN | Wed Nov 30, 2011 5:50pm EST
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Britain shut Iran's embassy in London and expelled all its staff on Wednesday, saying the storming of the British mission in Tehran could not have taken place without consent from Iranian authorities.
Foreign Secretary William Hague also said the British Embassy in Tehran had been closed and all staff evacuated following the attack on Tuesday by a crowd that ransacked offices and burned British flags in a protest over sanctions imposed by Britain on Tehran.
Iran warned that Britain's closure of the Iranian embassy in London would lead to further retaliation.
Tuesday's incident was the most violent so far as relations between the two countries steadily deteriorate due to Iran's wider dispute with the West over its nuclear program.
Analysts say it also appeared to reflect factionalism within Iran's ruling establishment, a unique hybrid of clerical and secular authority, and efforts by hardliners to undermine President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
On top of its ban on British financial institutions dealing with Iran and its central bank last week, Britain has called for further measures and a diplomatic source said London would now support a ban on oil imports from the Islamic Republic.
Hague said Iranian ambassadors across the European Union had been summoned to receive strong protests over the incident. But Britain stopped short of severing ties with Iran completely.
"The Iranian charge (d'affaires) in London is being informed now that we require the immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in London and that all Iranian diplomatic staff must leave the United Kingdom within the next 48 hours," Hague told parliament.
"We have now closed the British embassy in Tehran. We have decided to evacuate all our staff and as of the last few minutes, the last of our UK-based staff have now left Iran."
France, Germany and the Netherlands said they were recalling their ambassadors for consultations. Germany said it would offer to take over consular duties on behalf of Britain in Tehran.
Hague said it was "fanciful" to think Iranian authorities could not protect the British embassy, or that the assault could have taken place without "some degree of regime consent."
RIFTS IN IRAN
Negotiations on Iran's nuclear program were now "dead," said Ali Ansari, director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at St Andrews University in Scotland.
"What you are moving into is a period of containment and quarantine. I don't think we are into a military confrontation, but we are into a period of containment and they (the West) are going to try and tighten the noose."
The attack also exposes widening rifts within Iran's ruling elite. It appeared to be part of a move by the conservatives who dominate parliament to force Ahmadinejad to heed their demand to expel the British ambassador.
Ahmadinejad and his ministers have shown no willingness to compromise on their refusal to halt Iran's nuclear work but have sought to keep talks open to limit what sanctions are imposed.
The West believes the program is aimed at building a nuclear weapon, a charge Tehran strongly denies.
"This incident was planned by elements who are not opposed per se to negotiations but want to stop them merely because of their own petty political struggles," said Trita Parsi, a U.S.-based expert on Western-Iranian relations.
"The push to get the UK ambassador out came from parliament which is headed by Ali Larijani," Parsi said. "When Larijani was chief nuclear negotiator Ahmadinejad carried out a similar campaign against negotiations."
Ahmadinejad was once seen as a protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But he has faced challenges this year from hardliners who fear his faction threatens the role of the Islamic clergy in the political system that emerged after Iran's 1979 revolution: a parliamentary one, with a directly elected president overseen by a powerful cleric.
Khamenei's recent comment that the directly elected presidency could be replaced with one elected by parliament has been welcomed by those who want to clip Ahmadinejad's wings.
Negotiations on Iran's nuclear program were now "dead," said Ali Ansari, director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at St Andrews University in Scotland.
"What you are moving into is a period of containment and quarantine. I don't think we are into a military confrontation, but we are into a period of containment and they (the West) are going to try and tighten the noose."
The attack also exposes widening rifts within Iran's ruling elite. It appeared to be part of a move by the conservatives who dominate parliament to force Ahmadinejad to heed their demand to expel the British ambassador.
Ahmadinejad and his ministers have shown no willingness to compromise on their refusal to halt Iran's nuclear work but have sought to keep talks open to limit what sanctions are imposed.
The West believes the program is aimed at building a nuclear weapon, a charge Tehran strongly denies.
"This incident was planned by elements who are not opposed per se to negotiations but want to stop them merely because of their own petty political struggles," said Trita Parsi, a U.S.-based expert on Western-Iranian relations.
"The push to get the UK ambassador out came from parliament which is headed by Ali Larijani," Parsi said. "When Larijani was chief nuclear negotiator Ahmadinejad carried out a similar campaign against negotiations."
Ahmadinejad was once seen as a protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But he has faced challenges this year from hardliners who fear his faction threatens the role of the Islamic clergy in the political system that emerged after Iran's 1979 revolution: a parliamentary one, with a directly elected president overseen by a powerful cleric.
Khamenei's recent comment that the directly elected presidency could be replaced with one elected by parliament has been welcomed by those who want to clip Ahmadinejad's wings.
