Conservative Criticism of the Reopening of the British Embassy: 'We Have Never Been and Will Not Be Happy'

The reopening of the British Embassy in Iran in recent days has faced criticism from some figures associated with the conservative faction, including the head of the Conservative Unity Council, who stated, 'We have never been happy about the reopening of the British Embassy and we will not be.' According to Fars News Agency, Reza Taghavi, Deputy of the Society of Clergy and Head of the Conservative Unity Council, said on Thursday, September 5, 'We have never been happy about the reopening of the embassy of a vile country like England, and we will not be.' He added that 'these embassies have objectives, and we must be very careful; otherwise, we will be deceived.' On the other hand, Ahmad Tavakoli, a representative from Tehran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, expressed his disapproval of the haste in reopening the British Embassy, stating, 'I did not like this rush to reopen the British Embassy.' According to Fars, Tavakoli referred to comments made by Philip Hammond, the British Foreign Secretary, regarding 'Iran's changing positions on Israel,' saying, 'These remarks were meant to sow discord among our officials, and they are historically known for creating divisions.' A few days ago, Hammond stated in an interview with the BBC that 'Iran's positions regarding Israel have slightly changed.' Meanwhile, the Kayhan newspaper criticized the diplomacy of Hassan Rouhani's government for the 'reopening of the British Embassy in Tehran,' referring to it as 'reverse diplomacy in reopening the British Embassy.' The newspaper noted, 'It has been less than a week since the Supreme Leader's strategic statements about the hostile policies of America and its master, England, that the spy den of the old fox was opened despite the inner desires of the revolution's sympathizers and the majority of the people, and without regard to the law of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.' This newspaper labeled the British Embassy as a 'spy den' and identified it as a major source of dissatisfaction and protests in Iran, stating, 'During the four years that the British Embassy was closed, we witnessed fewer disturbances in the country, but as we approach the sensitive elections of Esfand 94, we must be more vigilant about the spy den and its movements. We do not forget that during the 88 unrest, some sinister plots were executed by direct agents or lackeys of the embassy in society.' The embassies of Iran and Britain resumed their activities simultaneously on Sunday, September 1, in London and Tehran. The reopening of the British Embassy in Tehran occurred about four years after an incident in December 2011, when protesters gathered outside the embassy building in Tehran, entered the building, and pulled down the flag of that country. The reopening of this embassy led to protests from some conservative media in Iran, and on Sunday, a gathering was held in front of this embassy, where, according to Saeed Montazerolmahdi, the police spokesman, some of the protesters who 'insisted on disrupting public order' were 'taken to the police station and then released.'