2011 Attack on British Embassy in Iran.
2011 Attack on British Embassy in Iran.
The 2011 attack on the British embassy in Iran occurred on 29 November 2011 in Tehran, Iran. Iranians, allegedly university students, stormed the embassy and another diplomatic compound in Tehran, ransacking offices and stealing documents. One small building is reported to have been set on fire during the incident. Several people were injured, but there are no reports of any deaths.
The incursion happened after about 1,000 people gathered near the embassy to demand that the British ambassador be sent home immediately. The rally began quietly, but some participants then stormed the building, breaking down the door, throwing around papers and replacing the British flag with an Iranian one. Police appear to be back in control of the British Embassy in Tehran, after it was stormed by hard-line Iranian students. Police also chased protesters as they entered the the British Embassy. Protesters removed the mission's flag and ransacking offices. The students chanted "God is the Greatest", "Down with the UK," "Down with the US," and "Down with Israel." Iran's state-run Press TV reported that police had the incident under control, but Britain's Foreign Office called the situation "fluid" and said "details are still emerging". British Prime Minister David Cameron described the incursion as "outrageous and indefensible" and demanded that Iran immediately ensure the safety of all British Embassy personnel. Foreign Secretary William Hague said the "irresponsible action" had put the safety of diplomats and their families at risk and caused extensive damage to embassy property. Some anti-UK students had gathered at the front of Gholhak Garden on the north of Tehran. They also pulled down a picture of the Queen and burned an embassy vehicle, as well as US, Israeli and UK flags. The protesters said they wanted to shut down the embassy. Protesters also targeted Gholhak Garden, a British diplomatic compound in north Tehran that has been a source of contention between Iranian and UK officials over its ownership. Both of the protests have now ended. Iran expressed regret over the attacks and police arrested 12 protesters.
The conventions which regulate diplomacy between states are largely codified in the Vienna Convention of 1969, as well as customary centuries-old practices. Accordingly, a country must provide security to all credentialed diplomatic staff, as well as protect the territory of the installation. Legally, an embassy as well as the residence of the Ambassador is equivalent to national soil of the represented country. Thus such an incursion is effectively a breach of UK sovereignty.
Reactions:
Within Iran
Iran's Foreign Ministry expressed regret over the attack, calling it "unacceptable" and said that it happened "despite the efforts made by the Iranian Law Enforcement Police and reinforcement of the embassy guards." Iranian police have arrested 12 protesters in connection with the attack.
Within the United Kingdom
Following the incident, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a statement saying that "we are outraged by this. It is utterly unacceptable and we condemn it.", later that evening British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed his "disgrace" at the Iranian Government's failure to protect its embassy. On the 30 November 2011, during a speech to the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary William Hague announced that the Iranian Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, his ambassadorial staff and other Iranian diplomats had 48 hours to leave the United Kingdom. The foreign secretary also announced that he had closed the British Embassy, and its staff and dependants had left Tehran. This brought the United Kingdom's relations with Iran to their lowest level, and both the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister had warned of far more "serious consequences" towards Iran, for its failure to uphold its international obligations in line with the Vienna Convention.
International
After the incident, Norway announced that it has closed its embassy in Tehran due to security concerns, after Britain's mission was stormed. Hilde Steinfeld, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman in Oslo, said the decision to close the embassy was taken late Tuesday, but that Norway's diplomatic staff have not been evacuated from the country. "They're still in Tehran," she said.
The U.N. Security Council condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms" and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described them as an "affront" to the international community.
Several countries, such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands, removed their ambassadors to discuss the diplomatic matter. Germany offered to act as a protecting power for the United Kingdom's diplomatic duties in Iran.
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