Iranian Official Blames Britain for Its Embassy Storming; Britain Sends Staff Home

Reuters
Alexander Abad-Santos 350 Views Nov 30, 2011

Update 10:03 a.m.- The BBC is reporting that "Germany announced it was temporarily recalling its ambassador to Tehran over the 'unacceptable' storming of the British embassy."

*Update: 8:54 a.m. - The AP is reporting that "Britain says it will expel all Iranian officials from UK following attack on embassy in Tehran."

A day after the British Embassy in Tehran was ransacked by Iranian students, Britain has *sent all of its staff home, Norway has closed its embassy, and an Iranian Parliament member offered up a non-apology, apology for this state-approved, animosity-filled mess. For the Brits, it seems like a understandable move, since a ransacked office that could be swarmed by an angry crowd are not ideal working conditions. *London officials have now sent their diplomatic staff home. "Ensuring the safety of our staff and their families is our immediate priority," said the statement from the British Foreign Office. Norway, dismayed by the storming of the British embassy, shut down their offices today according to an AP report, but they haven't sent their diplomats home yet. And right there to offer up shallow condolences for this giant mess was Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijan. The Iranian government have expressed regret about the "unacceptable behavior" reports the AP, but Larijan couldn't leave it at that, saying that the "wrath of (students) resulted from several decades of domination-seeking behavior of Britain."  Which, at the end of the day, isn't really helping since that's the type of language from the Iranian government which spurred the riot in the first place.

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