The Situation between Iran and the Rest of the World Just Got Much More Dangerous

Following the Iranian mob attack on the British Embassy in Teheran on Tuesday, Great Britain has withdrawn its embassy staff and ordered the Iranian Embassy in London to close immediately and has demanded that all Iranian staff leave Britain within 48 hours.

This is tough action, but the attack in Teheran was clearly not prevented by Iranian authorities but allowed to continue, with fire-bombings that started fires in the main buildings, looting of staff residences, destruction of furnishings in the Ambassador’s home, and stealing of British documents and other items.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said of the attack:

"This is a breach of international responsibilities of which any nation should be ashamed….We should be absolutely clear that no difficulty in relations can ever excuse in any way or under any circumstances the failure to protect diplomatic staff and diplomatic premises....Iran is a country where opposition leaders are under house arrest, more than 500 people have been executed so far this year and where genuine protest is ruthlessly stamped on….The idea that the Iranian authorities could not have protected our embassy or that this assault could have taken place without some degree of regime consent is fanciful."

Hague thanked those European and Arab nations that offered assistance to British Embassy staff following the incident. British citizens still in Iran will be supported by other EU missions there.

According to CNN International, The Netherlands is the latest European nation to recall its ambassador to Iran for consultations on Wednesday, following the lead of France and Germany.

The French Foreign Ministry said it was recalling its Teheran envoy, "given this blatant and unacceptable violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the severity of the violence."

The Iranian charge d'affaires in Paris has been called upon "to reiterate France's condemnation and to remind the Iranian authorities of their obligations," the ministry said in a statement.

Norway is closing its embassy there temporarily "because of a general assessment of the security situation in Iran," a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday. A statement said the embassy would reopen Thursday.

Ireland's Foreign Office urged Iran to reconsider its decision to expel the British ambassador to Teheran and said it should bring those responsible for the embassy incursion to justice. If this does not happen, it said, "there are likely to be serious consequences for Iran's relations with the EU and the wider international community."

Dear readers, it is too early to tell if Iran is seriously escalating its battle with the rest of the world or if it started a demonstration that simply got out of hand. Either way, the world community is in no mood to accept Iran’s bullying actions and the government in Iran, whether it is President Amadinejad or the Ayatollah who is actually in charge - and there is concern that neither may be totally in control, needs to offer assurances for the future if it has any hope of remaining in the international community of nations. But, with the war that seems to be raging between the religious and secular factions governing Iran, assurances may be weak at best.

The already tense situation caused by Iran’s insistence on continuing its nuclear program has now gotten even more tense. It is one of those times when any small spark could ignite the region and lead to full scale war.