British Embassy in Teheran Occupied
 

No word on British staff, possibly a repeat of the 1979 US Embassy hostage scenario

Torygraph:British embassy attack in Iran: live

British embassy in Iran attacked by protesters

British officials said they were urgently trying to establish whereabouts of staff and the scope of the threat unleashed by the breach.

Iranian hardliners had called for a demonstration against the embassy yesterday after the country adopted a law requiring the regime to throw out the British ambassador.

Reports from the scene said that security forces had failed to secure the site as dozens of students stormed the British Embassy, bringing down the union flag and throwing documents from windows.

The students clashed with anti-riot police and chanted "the Embassy of Britain should be taken over" and "death to England."

America lost its foothold in Tehran when students stormed the "den of spies" in 1979, triggering a 444 seize in which dozens of diplomats were held captive...........

Thanks for posting this, ORAC.

They're not making any friends, are they? Let's hope the embassy staff are OK.

Courtney

Hear, hear. Are these people barking mad? The expression 'hell in a handbasket' springs to mind.

Hasn't this happened a couple of times before (2009 and 2005 at least)?

From a newspaper over here
"Police, who had initially stood by as about 20 protesters clambered the walls, entered the compound and, after more than half an hour, managed to remove most of them."

Someone "up high" obviously told the Police to move them PDQ by the sounds of it.

I have read that one of these oiks was brandishing a framed portrait of Her Majesty, clearly looted from the Embassy.

In a previous era, we would have sent a gunboat to quell & punish such rank impertinance.

This is all the work of President Armydinnerjacket & his rabid Revolutionary Guards.

HB

Gunboats, carrier groups and harriers are sooo 20th century. I think a strongly-worded email from the FCO is needed (plus a back order on cheap grey suits and iPods...).

Could you actually get a gunboat to Tehran? Anyway, Buccaneers, that's what you need. Was it Op Pulsator?

Stage managed by the Regime, a real bunch of zealots.

Last time I looked out of the window on departing IKA there was a bloomin great mountain range between Tehran and the (landlocked) Caspian Sea. Now, I know the Senior Service:ok: is pdg, but even they might find it a tad challenging.

Gosh, you guys are just so picky today!

Clearly, the RN would dismount the boat's main armament in port, & manhandle it overland. I saw them do it at Earl's Court - simples!

HB

Operation Eagle Claw 2011 over the horizon?

Why don't the RN just sail near the middle of the Strait of Hormuz, they'll be in the middle of Tehran before they know it. Robert's your Dad's Brother!

Simples!

Ah, Op PULSATOR 83/84, great memories, especially of the Village Wine Shop in Limassol. Kev dropping a sodium light on Shuggie's head and real men flying through Beirut, not over it! Not to mention a very low pass down the runway by Red 7 which thankfully ended happily for Chris Hurst:eek:

from the website of the Iranian Embassy in the UK:
Iranian Embassy - London: Iran regrets some protesters´ actions
"On Tuesday, hundreds of Iranian students from different universities entered the compound of the British embassy in Tehran and pulled down Britain´s flag. However, police prevented them from entering the embassy itself.

In a statement released later on Tuesday, Iran´s Foreign Ministry expressed regret over the unacceptable actions of a few protesters despite the efforts of Iranian security forces to stop them.

According to the statement, relevant officials have been asked to immediately conduct necessary investigations with regards to this issue.

Stressing the Islamic Republic´s respect for international law and the immunity of diplomatic buildings, Iran´s Foreign Ministry also reiterated the Iranian government´s commitment to protect the diplomatic missions.

Police say the situation is under control, and security forces are trying to remove students who have entered the British embassy compound.

Police say they are protecting the embassy building and the documents inside, dispersing the large crowds gathered outside the embassy compound.

In northern Tehran, police entered a second British diplomatic compound to bring the security situation there under control. Police say all foreign nationals in the compound are under protection of security forces"


I find that last sentence that I've highlighted rather disturbing

I hope the embassy staff are all well. I also hope the regret (genuine or otherwise) expressed by the Iranian Foreign Ministry - in contrast to the earlier fighting talk from other parts of the government - again shows how much internal conflict there is within the government.

I just hope the elite tears itself apart before it does anything too stupid.

Does this mean another lot paraded in front of the press in really badly fitting Iranian suits?

On a serious note, one hopes they are all well, the police standing by for an hour before acting sounds more like orders, than the getting them out afterwards"..

Isn't it possible to rally a few of the great unwashed from Brixton/Croydon/Tottenham to stage a repeat performance of their last lot of antics and storm the Iranian Embassy in London?

Nutloose

I totally agree re orders. I would say that they just don't need any more heat applied and especially diplomatic heat which can of course be turned on them as well.

Look at the Iranian prime minister, and you will note that the great unwashed/unshaved/horribly dressed are Iranians!

On a more serious note: aren't embassies, particularly in "difficult" countries, supposed to be guarded by their own armed forces (e.g. US marines at US embassies)? What security is in force at UK embassies?