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What the Storming of the British Embassy in Tehran Tells Us

(Fox News) Michael Rubin - According to Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency, the radical students who stormed the British embassy in Tehran carried placards with photographs of Qassem Suleimani, the head of the Qods Force. Suleimani is responsible, according to American diplomatic cables, for running terror networks across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon and is perhaps responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans and dozens of British troops. As the Revolutionary Guards consolidates power inside Iran, Suleimani maintains an increasing chance to become president as Ahmadinejad finishes his last term. Iran's latest outrage at the British embassy indicates that the Iranian leadership is far more sensitive to international sanctions than they will ever admit. Tehran scarcely reacted when the UN Security Council designated specific companies and individuals involved in proliferation or Iran's nuclear program, but as soon as London went after Iran's Central Bank, Iranian officials reacted. The attack on the British compound suggests that the Iranian government fears economic isolation much more than diplomatic isolation. The writer is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
2011-11-30 00:00:00
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