Summary
Students protesting at the British Embassy in the Iranian capital Nov. 29 breached the embassy's walls. The incident occurred a day after Iran's Guardian Council voted to downgrade diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom. The protests will cause diplomatic security concerns and put other missions in Tehran on notice. However, the Nov. 29 protests are not out of line with other anti-British incidents that have occurred in Iran, and the embassy staff appears to have been prepared for it.
Analysis
Iranian student protesters breached the walls of the British Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 29 and entered the diplomatic compound. The incident came a day after Iran's Guardian Council approved a bill downgrading diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom from the ambassadorial level to one of charge d'affaires.
From a diplomatic security perspective, the incident certainly is alarming and will put other missions in the Iranian capital on notice. However, put into a larger context, the Nov. 29 incident is congruent with previous anti-British incidents in Iran, and the embassy's staff appears to have been prepared for it.
Images from the front of the embassy Nov. 29 showed students climbing over the fence and gates, entering what was reported to be a guard booth and allegedly setting fire to it. Similar protests occurred at the British Embassy's residential compound elsewhere in Tehran. Images from both compounds clearly show protesters entering the grounds and some peripheral buildings. The protesters reportedly called for the embassy to be taken over and chanted, "Death to England." Unconfirmed social media reports indicate that protesters actually made it inside the administrative buildings. Foreign press reports citing British and local law enforcement officials indicate that six embassy staff members could have been caught up in the protests at the residential compound. Embassy staff evacuated the compound as soon as the protests began, and there were no indications of injuries to diplomatic staff or anyone else. After several attempts and what appears to have been use of force, riot police cleared the compounds of protesters and established a security perimeter around the buildings -- but not before the protesters could pose for cameras and reporters.
Security at diplomatic missions such as the British Embassy and residential compound in Tehran comprises several concentric rings of increasingly hard barriers. Local police typically serve as the first line of defense for any diplomatic mission. They take charge of protecting the streets surrounding the mission and, in some cases, even restrict traffic on these streets. Within that circle stands a wall or fence surrounding the compound. Images from the British Embassy in Tehran indicate that this barrier was not insurmountable, and the images show no police attempting to stop the protesters. Walls alone do not keep people out; they merely make it more difficult to enter and serve as a tool to help police contain a situation.
At the British Embassy compound -- as in most Western diplomatic compounds in high-risk countries -- a large standoff distance separates the embassy building and the perimeter wall. This distance gives security personnel at the embassy time and space to react to perimeter breaches and provides space to absorb attacks involving explosives. The actual embassy building is hardened with ballistic glass and reinforced concrete, and within embassies such as these are safe rooms where staff can rally in the direst situations. It appears that security staff at the British Embassy successfully avoided confrontation by evacuating the embassy long before protesters made it inside, thus eliminating the need to test the absolute limits of the embassy’s security.
The police in Tehran initially did not work to keep people from breaching the perimeter barrier. Protesters appeared to climb over the wall easily and open the gate protecting the main entrance to the embassy. Most images show the protesters entering the guard booth at the compound's entrance, which serves as a third layer of security. There was no indication that guards stationed at the entrance (usually local national private guards) attempted to control the crowd or were even present. Iranian authorities have in the past clearly demonstrated the ability to prevent protests at the British Embassy -- as in June 2009, when authorities prevented protesters from demonstrating at the embassy over the United Kingdom's alleged involvement in post-election unrest. Iranian authorities appear to have chosen to allow the Nov. 29 protests to happen.
However, the staff at the British Embassy appears to have used perhaps an embassy staff's most important security measure: preparedness. Given the history of incidents involving the British Embassy in Tehran, protests like those seen Nov. 29 should not come as a surprise. In 2008, protesters breached the same diplomatic residential compound and caused superficial property damage. In 2009, Iranian authorities arrested eight British diplomats, claiming that they illegally assisted the opposition during protests following that year's June elections. The Iranian government has long tried to force the United Kingdom to abandon the Qolhak Gardens, where the residential compound is located. This desire has often led to public protests against the British presence there. British staff at the embassy in Tehran would be acutely aware of the environment's hostility and would plan its security accordingly.
Acknowledging a threat and creating contingency plans to deal with it is just as important to diplomatic security as perimeter walls and reinforced concrete. Given the history of protests against the United Kingdom’s diplomatic presence in Iran and the failure of Iranian police to always provide adequate security, the embassy's security officers most likely were prepared for the Nov. 29 incident. They appear to have done their jobs in protecting the diplomatic staff.
Students protesting at the British Embassy in the Iranian capital Nov. 29 breached the embassy's walls. The incident occurred a day after Iran's Guardian Council voted to downgrade diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom. The protests will cause diplomatic security concerns and put other missions in Tehran on notice. However, the Nov. 29 protests are not out of line with other anti-British incidents that have occurred in Iran, and the embassy staff appears to have been prepared for it.
Analysis
Iranian student protesters breached the walls of the British Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 29 and entered the diplomatic compound. The incident came a day after Iran's Guardian Council approved a bill downgrading diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom from the ambassadorial level to one of charge d'affaires.
From a diplomatic security perspective, the incident certainly is alarming and will put other missions in the Iranian capital on notice. However, put into a larger context, the Nov. 29 incident is congruent with previous anti-British incidents in Iran, and the embassy's staff appears to have been prepared for it.
Images from the front of the embassy Nov. 29 showed students climbing over the fence and gates, entering what was reported to be a guard booth and allegedly setting fire to it. Similar protests occurred at the British Embassy's residential compound elsewhere in Tehran. Images from both compounds clearly show protesters entering the grounds and some peripheral buildings. The protesters reportedly called for the embassy to be taken over and chanted, "Death to England." Unconfirmed social media reports indicate that protesters actually made it inside the administrative buildings. Foreign press reports citing British and local law enforcement officials indicate that six embassy staff members could have been caught up in the protests at the residential compound. Embassy staff evacuated the compound as soon as the protests began, and there were no indications of injuries to diplomatic staff or anyone else. After several attempts and what appears to have been use of force, riot police cleared the compounds of protesters and established a security perimeter around the buildings -- but not before the protesters could pose for cameras and reporters.
Security at diplomatic missions such as the British Embassy and residential compound in Tehran comprises several concentric rings of increasingly hard barriers. Local police typically serve as the first line of defense for any diplomatic mission. They take charge of protecting the streets surrounding the mission and, in some cases, even restrict traffic on these streets. Within that circle stands a wall or fence surrounding the compound. Images from the British Embassy in Tehran indicate that this barrier was not insurmountable, and the images show no police attempting to stop the protesters. Walls alone do not keep people out; they merely make it more difficult to enter and serve as a tool to help police contain a situation.
At the British Embassy compound -- as in most Western diplomatic compounds in high-risk countries -- a large standoff distance separates the embassy building and the perimeter wall. This distance gives security personnel at the embassy time and space to react to perimeter breaches and provides space to absorb attacks involving explosives. The actual embassy building is hardened with ballistic glass and reinforced concrete, and within embassies such as these are safe rooms where staff can rally in the direst situations. It appears that security staff at the British Embassy successfully avoided confrontation by evacuating the embassy long before protesters made it inside, thus eliminating the need to test the absolute limits of the embassy’s security.
The police in Tehran initially did not work to keep people from breaching the perimeter barrier. Protesters appeared to climb over the wall easily and open the gate protecting the main entrance to the embassy. Most images show the protesters entering the guard booth at the compound's entrance, which serves as a third layer of security. There was no indication that guards stationed at the entrance (usually local national private guards) attempted to control the crowd or were even present. Iranian authorities have in the past clearly demonstrated the ability to prevent protests at the British Embassy -- as in June 2009, when authorities prevented protesters from demonstrating at the embassy over the United Kingdom's alleged involvement in post-election unrest. Iranian authorities appear to have chosen to allow the Nov. 29 protests to happen.
However, the staff at the British Embassy appears to have used perhaps an embassy staff's most important security measure: preparedness. Given the history of incidents involving the British Embassy in Tehran, protests like those seen Nov. 29 should not come as a surprise. In 2008, protesters breached the same diplomatic residential compound and caused superficial property damage. In 2009, Iranian authorities arrested eight British diplomats, claiming that they illegally assisted the opposition during protests following that year's June elections. The Iranian government has long tried to force the United Kingdom to abandon the Qolhak Gardens, where the residential compound is located. This desire has often led to public protests against the British presence there. British staff at the embassy in Tehran would be acutely aware of the environment's hostility and would plan its security accordingly.
Acknowledging a threat and creating contingency plans to deal with it is just as important to diplomatic security as perimeter walls and reinforced concrete. Given the history of protests against the United Kingdom’s diplomatic presence in Iran and the failure of Iranian police to always provide adequate security, the embassy's security officers most likely were prepared for the Nov. 29 incident. They appear to have done their jobs in protecting the diplomatic staff.
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