Protesters set fire to the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Tehran on Saturday after news broke that 47 people had been executed in the kingdom, including the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Attacking embassies as a reaction to world events is not uncommon in Iran, with some notable cases in history remaining etched in diplomatic memory.
Here are some of the more memorable embassy attacks in Tehran since the 1979 revolution.
1979 hostage crisis at the US Embassy
In November 1979, 52 US diplomats and citizens were taken hostage at the US embassy in Tehran and held for 444 days. A group of Iranian students raided the embassy after the recently deposed Shah was admitted to the US for medical treatment. Protestors demanded his return to Iran for trial and execution, and accused the US of being complicit in his alleged crimes as ruler.
1987 reaction to the “Mecca massacre”
In August 1987, over 400 people were killed in clashes between Shia pilgrims and Saudi security forces during the Hajj in Mecca. News reports from the time show that Iranian protestors responded by attacking the Saudi and Kuwaiti embassies in Tehran, abducting four members of the Saudi staff.
2006 Danish embassy attacks
In response to the publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in Denmark, an angry mob firebombed the Danish embassy in Tehran. The embassy was evacuated as Iranian police were unable to hold off the protestors.
2011 attack on British embassy
In 2011, the UK increased sanctions on Iran after a report speculated that the country was seeking to weaponize its nuclear program. Relations quickly deteriorated, eventually leading to a large scale protest attacking the British embassy. Fires were started, embassy staff were injured, and the British flag was replaced with an Iranian one. The Iranian foreign ministry described the attack as unacceptable.
