Chilcott: Iran embassy attackers government supported

BBC:

Dominick Chilcott told the BBC Iran is a country in which such action is only taken "with the acquiescence and the support of the state".

Hundreds of protesters attacked the UK embassy in Tehran on Tuesday.

And diplomats working at the Iranian embassy in London have left Britain after being expelled.

The Iranian diplomats expelled from the UK flew out of Heathrow on a chartered Iran Air flight on Friday afternoon.

Their expulsion was ordered by Foreign Secretary William Hague after the British embassy in Tehran was stormed on Tuesday.

Iran said it regretted the incident, which it described as "unacceptable behaviour by a small number of protesters".

But Mr Chilcott, the newly appointed British ambassador to Iran, told the BBC's Gavin Esler the attack was likely to have had state backing.

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He said: "Iran is not the sort of country where spontaneously a demonstration congregates and then attacks a foreign embassy. That sort of activity is only done with the acquiescence and the support of the state.

"And there are a number of reasons why, with the benefit of hindsight, it's very clear that this was a state-supported activity."

He also said some within Iran's ruling regime may have underestimated the British response.

"The risk is that certain people in the regime who liked the idea of confrontation, because they felt it would rally people to the flag, miscalculated how strong the response would be," said Mr Chilcott.

"They probably didn't expect us to send home the Iranian embassy in London and, reading between the lines, you can see in the way they have responded to that move, some remorse in having provoked it. I think that might apply more generally too," he added.


Earlier, Iranian diplomatic staff boarded a plane at Heathrow Airport, London, heading to Tehran
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told the BBC's Sarah Rainsford the UK's relationship with Iran had "taken a very serious knock".

He said: "Something really bad happened when the Iranian authorities allowed those people to overrun our embassy compounds, and it is quite right that we have been very clear in our response - as have many other European countries who have withdrawn their ambassadors for consultations.

"It doesn't mean we're cutting off all diplomatic relations with Iran. It doesn't mean we are in any way lessening our determination to try to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear question, which is immensely important to Europe and the whole world, and we will continue to work tirelessly to find a negotiated solution."

On Wednesday, Mr Hague told MPs: "If any country makes it impossible for us to operate on their soil, they cannot expect to have a functioning embassy here."

The foreign secretary said there had been "some degree of regime consent" in the attacks on the embassy and on another UK diplomatic compound in Tehran.

He also said all UK diplomatic staff in Tehran had been evacuated and the embassy closed.

Barak: Israel may be forced t o act against a nuclear Iran

JERUSALEM – Israel does not want to take military action against Iran over its nuclear program, but at some point may have no other option, the Israeli defense minister said Thursday.

The Jewish state at this point did not intend to launch a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, but retained the option as a "last resort," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio.

"We don't need unnecessary wars. But we definitely might be put to the test," he said.

Barak said he hoped that sanctions and diplomacy would pressure the Iranian leadership to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program, but did not expect that to happen.

Israel, like the West, is convinced Iran is developing a nuclear bomb, despite Tehran's insistence that its nuclear program is designed to produce energy.

Israel says a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten the Jewish state's survival, citing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated references to Israel's destruction, Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles and its support for militant groups that fight Israel.

The U.S. -- as well as some security experts in Israel -- have loudly opposed the prospect of an Israeli military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, because of its potential for touching off retaliation against Israel and a broader, regional conflagration.

But Barak suggested that Israel might not alert world powers before embarking on a strike.

"Israel is a sovereign state and it is the government of Israel, the Israeli army and security forces who are responsible for Israel's security, future and survival," he said.

Mysterious blasts, computer viruses and assassinations have disrupted Iran's nuclear program, and there has been speculation of Israeli involvement.


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Brits kick out Iranian diplomats

The UK is to expel all Iranian diplomats following the storming of its embassy in Tehran, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced.

He said he had ordered the immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in London.

Tuesday's attack by hundreds of protesters followed Britain's decision to impose further sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.

Iran's parliament had previously voted to reduce diplomatic ties with the UK.

Mr Hague said he was demanding the immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in London, with all its staff to leave the UK within 48 hours.

He said there had been "some degree of regime consent" in the attacks on the embassy and on another UK diplomatic compound in Tehran.

He said all UK diplomatic staff in Tehran had been evacuated and the embassy closed.

"They cannot expect to have a functioning embassy here," Mr Hague told MPs.

However, Mr Hague said the UK was not severing relations with Iran entirely.

Correspondents say the move means relations between the UK and Iran are now at the lowest level.

Hashim Khan, an anti-Taliban tribal leader killed

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Hashim Khan, an anti-Taliban tribal leader, was killed in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday when a bomb hidden in his car detonated, police said.

Two of Khan's colleagues traveling with him were injured, said police official Abdul Rashid.
The explosion took place at 1 p.m. in Hangu city in Orakzai Agency, one of seven semi-autonomous tribal regions in northwest Pakistan, known to be a hotbed of militancy.

Khan was an influential tribal elder who led a local resistance against the Taliban and its many factions.

No one has taken responsibility for the attack.

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