Iranian MP: UK Should Compensate 1980 Attack on Iran Embassy

“What we say is that Iran’s embassy in London was also sieged and one person was killed and the properties of the embassy were damaged. Therefore, if we want to act based on international regulations, the UK should also compensate Iran,” said the rapporteur of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign policy Commission, Seyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini in response to the British demands over financial compensation for the 2011 attack on the British embassy in Tehran.

Back in May 1980, a group of six launched a deadly attack on the Iranian embassy in South Kensington, London.

Naqavi underlined that based on different international regulations and in particular Vienna Convention, the host nation must protect the foreign embassies from any act of intrusion and compensate possible damage.

The lawmaker further noted that history shows that the British diplomats are more interested in interfering Iran’s domestic affairs rather than diplomatic and consular affairs.

Naqavi added that during the “sedition” that broke out in the aftermath of 2009 presidential election in Iran, the British embassy played a key role in leading the seditionist and creating chaos.

Tehran-London relations became tense three years ago. On November 27, 2011, a large majority of Iranian lawmakers voted to downgrade diplomatic ties with Britain, following Britain's decision to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran.

Later, a group of angry Iranian students stormed the British embassy in Tehran and pulled down that country’s flag.

Following the incident, Britain withdrew its diplomatic staff from the country on November 30 and asked Iran’s diplomatic delegation in London to leave within 48 hours.

Tehran and London agreed in October last year to appoint non-resident chargé d’affaires as a first step toward reopening their respective embassies.