Storming Embassies; Who is Responsible?

In the past two days, the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran has turned Iran into a global news story. The attackers, protesting the execution of Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, a Shia cleric opposed to the Saudi government, gathered in front of the Saudi embassy building on Farmanieh Street from the first hours of the news release and attacked the building at midnight on Saturday by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails inside. Part of the embassy building was set on fire, and its property was destroyed and looted. Meanwhile, in Mashhad, a group gathered in front of the Saudi consulate, where they pulled down the flag of the country and set part of the consulate building on fire with firecrackers. Reactions to this incident have shifted attention from Saudi Arabia to Iran, overshadowing international criticisms of the execution of 47 political opponents in Riyadh. Immediately, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, condemned these attacks as unjustifiable and ordered action against the 'self-styled' attackers. However, a review of the history of assaults on embassies in Iran since the revolution shows that not only have the attackers not been dealt with, but they have also been encouraged multiple times by groups such as Ansar Hezbollah and some members of parliament. Six days before the referendum on the Islamic Revolution, a group of Arab students residing in Iran occupied the Egyptian embassy. On the morning of Farvardin 6, 58, a group of 50 attacked the Cairo embassy in Tehran in protest against the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Although the students announced they were waiting for Iranian students to join them, just one day later, following negotiations with representatives of the then Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassy building was handed over to them. However, the Imam Line students were not as flexible as the Arab students. Only seven months after the Egypt incident, a group of students from four universities in Tehran, calling themselves 'Muslim Students Following the Imam Line,' occupied the U.S. embassy in Tehran and held the diplomats present in the building hostage for 444 days. The occupation of the U.S. embassy was supported by Ayatollah Khomeini and political and revolutionary groups. Its political impact remains to this day, not only severing relations between the two countries but also keeping the case open in international forums and political negotiations. This major incident ended after months of negotiations and consultations, following the signing of the well-known 'Algiers Accords' by the governments of Iran and the U.S., allowing over 50 American hostages to leave Iran on January 19, 1981. However, this was not the end of the story. Although the Imam Line students were encouraged and supported by the highest authorities in Iran due to the political conditions of the early revolution, it left the Islamic Republic of Iran with a 36-year-old dilemma. On Bahman 18, 84, protests against the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and their re-publication in several European newspapers led to an attack on the Danish embassy building on Elahiyeh Street in Tehran. The demonstrators, identified as 'Basij students,' threw stones and firebombs, causing the entrance door, the guard kiosk, and several trees in the embassy grounds to catch fire. The protesters chanted slogans like 'Heihat minna al-zillah' and 'Woe if Khamenei issues a jihad decree.' According to ISNA news agency, the police repeatedly asked the demonstrators to disperse and not to take any actions contrary to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Brigadier General Talayi, the then commander of Tehran police, was also present at the scene. He told ISNA that no one from the demonstrators was harmed by the police, and no one was arrested, as he believed that 'the gathering in protest against the insult to sanctities was spontaneous and did not seem organized.' At that time, Colonel Shabani, the deputy commander of Greater Tehran police, also emphasized to police officers to avoid clashes with the demonstrators. Besides the Danish embassy, another group also held a protest in front of the embassies of Austria and France. This action was met with widespread international reactions, and Per Stig Møller, the then Danish Foreign Minister, stated in an interview with his country's radio that Iran was responsible for any damage to the embassy building in Tehran and also called for security guarantees for Danish citizens in Iran. In the wake of the attack on the Danish embassy, a directive was sent from the Ministry of Commerce to the country's confectioners, obliging them to change the name of 'Danish pastry' to 'Gol Mohammadi pastry.' The relationship, which had always fluctuated in the years following the revolution, reached its lowest point with the attack by a group referred to by Iranian news agencies as 'Basij students' on the British embassy building. On Tuesday, Azar 8, 90, a number of demonstrators in front of Qolhak Garden entered the building, set the British flag on fire, broke windows, burned some documents on the first floor, damaged satellite facilities, and caused significant damage. This action took place after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Iran's nuclear program, and Britain imposed sanctions against Iran, severing banking relations between the two countries. In response, the Iranian parliament voted positively on a resolution to reduce relations between the two countries to the level of chargé d'affaires, and just two days later, protesters stormed the British embassy in Tehran. ISNA reported that some students entered the embassy chanting slogans like 'The standard bearer of the Wilayat, Basijis, I am at your service,' 'The party is only Hezbollah, Seyyed Ali Rouhollah,' 'Muslim students unite, unite,' and 'Haydar, Haydar,' and after destroying it, they recited the Ziyarat Ashura and gave speeches. Hamid Rasai, a principlist member of parliament, was one of the speakers. Also, Hossein Sajedi-Nia, the commander of Greater Tehran police, was present at the embassy, asking the demonstrators to clear the entrance so that those who had entered could exit. The political repercussions of this occupation were also extensive. Britain expelled the Iranian ambassador in London and closed its embassy in Tehran. European countries, the U.S., and the United Nations condemned this incident and called on Iran to adhere to its international commitments and act responsibly. However, the situation did not remain that way later. With the rise of Hassan Rouhani and changes in the new government's foreign policy, delegations from the government and parliament were sent to London, and numerous negotiations were held to resume relations. The result was the installation of a new silver sign on the front of the British embassy building on Ferdowsi Street and the reopening of both embassies in Tehran and London. Now, while Tehran and London are gradually rebuilding their relations, this time the relationship with Riyadh has soured, and Saudi Arabia announced it was cutting ties with Iran. They gave the diplomats of the Islamic Republic 48 hours to leave the country. However, these events did not prevent another protest gathering in front of the Saudi embassy and consulate buildings in Tehran and Mashhad. This time, the police sprayed water on the demonstrators, and Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, announced that 40 people had been arrested so far. However, none of the attackers on various embassies have been prosecuted or even identified. Now, this incident, especially on the eve of two crucial elections for the 10th Parliament and the Assembly of Experts, has once again placed Hassan Rouhani's government in a difficult position both domestically and internationally. Meanwhile, critics of the government have not remained silent, attributing the government's 'weak diplomacy' in dealing with Saudi Arabia as a precursor to incidents such as the attacks on this country's representations in Iran.