THE UNITED KINGDOM has ordered the expulsion of all Iranian diplomats and the closure of Iran’s embassy in London following an attack on the British embassy in Tehran yesterday.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that the Iranian embassy would be closed with immediate effect, reports the BBC.
The move comes following Britain’s promise of “serious consequences” over the storming of its embassy and diplomatic residential compound in Tehran, where windows were smashed and representations of British flag burned. Hundreds of protesters participated in the demonstration, chanting “Death to England”.
Protesters appeared to be angry over the Britain’s recent decision to impose further economic sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme.
Despite an expression of regret by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in relation to the attacks, Hague insisted this afternoon that there had been “some degree of regime consent” in the incident.
The protest was reminiscent of the attack on the US embassy in 1979 after the Iranian Revolution, which was also preceded by increasingly strained ties between Iran and Western powers. Yesterday, protesters even called the embassy called a “spy den” — the same phrase used after militants stormed the US Embassy in Tehran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and held 52 hostages for 444 days.
No UK embassy staff were injured during the attacks.
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