After the Nov. 29 attacks on the British Embassy compounds in Tehran, chances of a swift diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue seem increasingly remote.
Iranian protesters stormed two British Embassy buildings in the Iranian capital, including the main embassy building and the official diplomatic residences in the north of the city. Rioters attacking the buildings shouted slogans like “Death to England.”
Relations between Iran and the West, and with Britain in particular, have deteriorated lately, and seem to have just gotten worse. British Prime Minister David Cameron warned Iran after the raid of the serious consequences it would have on Iran-U.K. relations.
“We hold the Iranian government responsible for its unacceptable failure to protect diplomats in line with international law. … The Iranian government must recognize that there will be serious consequences for failing to protect our staff,” said Cameron in a statement on Nov. 29.
The White House issued a statement saying it “condemns in the strongest terms the storming of the British Embassy in Tehran.”
The raid was a culmination of tensions that began to mount earlier this month when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog, released its strongest report to date indicating that Iran had “carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.” Moreover, it stated that Iran failed to show inspectors who visited in 2005 the vessel it constructed to conduct the tests.
Opinions differ on how strong, or even how new the evidence is in the latest IAEA report. Nonetheless, the report itemized in the greatest detail yet the litany of concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. A subsequent IAEA resolution calling on Iran to clear up outstanding questions about its program was adopted with a 32–2 majority.
Iran responded by calling the resolution politically motivated and stating that it would only strengthen its resolve to carry on with its nuclear program.
The U.K., United States, and Canada reacted swiftly by imposing fresh sanctions, the harshest yet, targeting Iranian oil, gas, and petrochemical industries, as well as Iranian banks.
Iran responded by taking aim at Britain, passing legislation to downgrade Iran-U.K. relations and calling for the expulsion of the British ambassador to Tehran.
The rioters, referred to as “students” by the Iranian regime, stormed the British Embassy compounds, perhaps trying to hasten the execution of the Iranian Parliament’s decision.
While the Iranian Foreign Ministry called the incursions “unacceptable,” there is a widespread view in the West that the attacks could not have taken place under the nose of the Iranian security apparatus had they not been tacitly sanctioned, at least by a faction within the country’s leadership.
The events highlight the protracted stalemate over how to deal with the issue of Iran’s nuclear program. Iran has always claimed that its only ambition is to produce nuclear energy, but most Western governments believe it is trying to develop nuclear weapons, in violation of the nonproliferation treaty Iran is a signatory to.
The Western world has spent years going back and forth between attempts at diplomacy and sanctions. Iran has alternated between appeasing and antagonizing the international community over the issue.
The last round of talks between Iran and the six powers—the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia—ended with no progress last January.
While all sides still officially seek a negotiated solution, the outlook now seems even worse than before, with the pendulum sitting firmly on the side of sanctions and defiance.
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