The Islamic Republic of Iran is addicted to attacking Embassies. It started in 1979 with the US embassy attack and hostage taking, and has since been repeated again and again against other embassies and consulates, including the British and now Saudi Arabia.
Is this helping the Iranian people or hurting our relationship with the whole world for an entire generation? Embassy of a nation is so sacred that International Law designates an attack on an embassy as an attack on the country it represents. So how come Iran has become addicted to attacking embassies?
It is the case of the famous Persian anecdote that, “if the prayer leader passes gas, the crowd behind him shall soil itself”! Clearly, the blatant support of Ayatollah Khomeini of the US embassy attack and hostage taking, has set such a strong precedent among the Iranian revolutionaries that it has opened the gates of hell for ransacking, occupation and burning foreign missions as a “normal” and acceptable tactic.
What did Iran gain from attacking the US embassy and taking its personnel hostage for 444 days? Nothing, absolutely nothing! We became the “bad guys” so that even when Saddam Hossein attacked Iran in 1980, most nations of the world stayed indifferent to the plight of our people, and worse; many countries even backed Saddam as a way to bring Iran under control.
What did Iran gain from attacking the British embassy in 2011? They stormed the embassy and another British diplomatic compound in Tehran, ransacked offices, stole documents and other property. One of the buildings was set on fire and several people were injured. That savage act simply strengthened the resolve of Western nations to apply the most draconian fiscal and trade embargo on Iran, which has crippled our economy to this date.
What will Iran gain from attacking the Saudi Arabian embassy? The immediate effect has been an eclipse of the Saudi suppression of its own minority Shiite population and the casting of Iranian people as dangerous and unstable. The news media add this to the fact that Iran has been a staunch supporter of the ruthless Syrian government, just because it is a Shiite dominated regime, and is now portraying a vision of Shiite-Sunni war based on deep-rooted hatred and historical hostility.
Shiite-Sunni war will not benefit Iran or Saudi, but could be the direct result of so many conflicts that are swirling around the two nations and sinking both of them into a downward spiral. Iran must overcome its addiction to embassy attacks, and must understand that such attacks have had terrible consequences in the past, and can form the excuse and pretext of terrible consequences in the future.
