After responding to possible new sanctions with a destructive assault on Britain’s embassy, Iran faces a two forms of repercussions–one diplomatic and one karmic.
From the Wall Street Journal:
The U.K. closed its embassy in Iran on Wednesday and expelled Iranian diplomats from London after accusing the Iranian government of consenting to the storming of Britain’s embassy in Tehran the day before.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Iranian diplomats have 48 hours to leave the U.K.
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In addition to the freeze in embassy relations, the UK is set to support a new round of oil sanctions on the Middle Eastern nation.
From Haaretz:
Britain will support an embargo on Iranian oil imports following the deterioration of relations between the two countries, a diplomatic source told Reuters on Wednesday, in an apparent reversal of its former position.
…
“Now that the U.K. has downgraded diplomatic relations with Iran, it will support increased sanctions…and would likely go ahead with those sanctions unilaterally or with France and Germany,” said a diplomatic source, referring to the ban on Iranian crude oil imports.
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Finally, a new, mysterious explosion at an Iranian nuclear facility suggests agents of espionage may be ramping up efforts to derail the nation’s nuclear weapons program.
From The Australian:
An Iranian nuclear facility has been hit by a huge explosion, the second such blast in a month, prompting speculation that Tehran’s military and atomic sites are under attack.
Satellite imagery seen by The Times confirmed that a blast that rocked the city of Isfahan on Monday struck the uranium enrichment facility there, despite denials by Tehran.
The images clearly showed billowing smoke and destruction, negating Iranian claims yesterday that no such explosion had taken place. Israeli intelligence officials told The Times that there was “no doubt” that the blast struck the nuclear facilities at Isfahan and that it was “no accident”.
The explosion at Iran’s third-largest city came as satellite images emerged of the damage caused by one at a military base outside Tehran two weeks ago that killed about 30 members of the Revolutionary Guard, including General Hassan Moghaddam, the head of the Iranian missile defence program.
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