The United Kingdom announced today that it had closed its embassy in Tehran and withdrawn all of its diplomats. It also ordered Iran to close its embassy in London within 48 hours. The closing of the British embassy and the order to close Iran's embassy follow an invasion of the British Embassy and a diplomatic residence in Tehran. Click here for more information from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Although Iran appears to have expressed its regret over the incident, the attacks on the embassy and diplomatic residence were alleged to be a goverment-supported protest against economic sanctions imposed by Britain against Iran. The attack immediately brought back memories of the 1979 crisis in which U.S. diplomatic personnel were held hostage at the start of the revolution that overthrew the former Shah of Iran.
(mew)