Britain withdraws diplomats from embassy in Tehran

Britain withdraws diplomats from embassy in Tehran

Britain has evacuated its embassy in Iran and has ordered the immediate closure of the Iranian Embassy in London, offering Iranian staff 48 hours to leave the country. Britain began pulling out its diplomatic staff from the country’s embassy in Iran a day after protesters attacked the complex. Tensions have escalated after Britain, as well as the United States and European Union, imposed increased sanctions in response to an IAEA report, which provided evidence of Iranian nuclear arms development. The British went the furthest with sanctions by severing all contact with the Iranian Central Bank. The protesters, described by Iran as “students,” stormed the embassy yelling “Death to England” burning flags and breaking windows, and holding six staff members temporarily captive in a move reminiscent to the U.S. Embassy takeover in 1979. British Prime Minister David Cameron said his priority is the safety of the embassy staff and their families. The United States, European Union, and United Nations Security Council condemned the attack while Cameron warned Iran of “serious consequences” for the action.

Headlines  

• Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati transferred funds to the Special Tribunal on Lebanon, a contentious move from the man who came into power amid turmoil over the Hariri court.
• Turkey imposed increased sanctions on Syria with Foreign Minister Davutoglu saying the government of Prime Minister Assad had come “to the end of the road.”
• Israel approved the release of Palestinian Authority tax funds amounting to $10 million per month frozen in retaliation for Palestine’s acceptance as a member of UNESCO.
• Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood claims an early lead in Egyptian elections.
• A Libyan gunman, whose motive is unknown, wounded a soldier and a security guard at the Topkapi Palace, a tourist attraction in Istanbul, before being shot and killed.

Daily Snapshot

TEHRAN, IRAN – NOVEMBER 29: A man holds a poster featuring American actors John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in a scene from the film ‘Pulp Fiction’ following a break in at the British Embassy during an anti-British demonstration in the Iranian capital on November 29, 2011 in Tehran, Iran. Relations between the two countries have soured further over recent weeks, with the UK Treasury imposing sanctions on Iranian banks, accusing them of supporting the country’s nuclear programme. The Iranian authorities insist that its nuclear plans are for peaceful purposes only and parliament has voted to downgrade diplomatic relations with the UK (FarsNews/Getty Images). 

Arguments & Analysis

‘U.S. policy on Egypt needs a big shift’ (Marc Lynch and Steven A. Cook, New York Times)

“Washington should now throw its weight behind early presidential elections, a demand shared by virtually all Egyptian political forces and recently agreed to under S.C.A.F. pressure. It should also insist on a rapid response to the long-standing demand to end the military trials for civilians and the application of emergency law, which makes those trials and other means of repression possible. It should speak out against recent moves to censor the media and to incite citizens against protesters and foreign journalists. And, crucially, the administration should demand real accountability for those responsible for violence against civilians.” 

‘Kirkuk in the wake of the withdrawal’ (Joost Hiltermann, The National Interest)

“A declining U.S. military presence will diminish Washington’s ability to dampen passions when one side or the other crosses the line-as the Kurds did when they deployed military forces to Kirkuk city in February 2011. Neither Baghdad nor Erbil will likely pause if and when it sees its adversary advancing on the trigger line. Yet U.S. influence will be relatively more effective in restraining the Kurds, as Washington has undercut its ability to pressure Baghdad by its own obvious interest in keeping Iraq tightly bound within a strategic security framework facing Iran. For the Kurds, this means they need to make their diversification efforts work by seeking solace with neighboring Turkey, an erstwhile adversary with which they have kissed and made up, as well as the home governments of many companies that have descended on Kurdistan to feast upon its oil and gas wealth.” 

‘For old times’ sake’ (Karl Vick, Time)

“But with the Americans long gone, there’s no one else for the Islamic Republic to toy with. This stark reality essentially assured that the half-dozen British diplomats reported taken hostage at one point in the day would turn up accounted for by day’s end. It also meant that when British Foreign Office declared itself “outraged by this” and the “incursion” “utterly unacceptable,” Iran’s foreign minister would tell Britain’s foreign secretary “he was sorry for what had happened and that action would be taken in response,” according to William Hague, the foreign secretary.” 

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