هم اکنون عضو شبکه تلگرام رجانیوز شوید
TEHRAN, May 17 (Rajanews) – Three decades after Iran’s 1980 London embassy hostage-taking, the realities behind this event have not been entirely disclosed because of political considerations. Examining the different aspects of Iran’s embassy seizure, independent investigators believe Margaret Thatcher’s administration had secret ties with the hostage-takers. "On the other hand, the killing of the hostage takers by the British Special Force, immediately after they were disarmed and surrendered was an effort to silence them forever," critics believe.
In a bid to disclose the untold realities behind this bloody hostage-taking which is unusual in the history of world of diplomacy, Rajanews has conducted an interview with Chairman of the Center for Contemporary Iranian History Studies Abbas Salimi Namin. He was a Ph.D. student at the time of the hostage taking in London.
Q: Is there any evidence to prove London's involvement in the hostage-taking crisis?
A: There are numerous facts that prove a secret coordination between the UK government and the hostage-takers. As Iran’s embassy was located in an area under special security guard, the presence of 6 armed kidnappers in the district and in the meantime, their easy break-in to the embassy is questionable. The cooperation of the UK diplomatic police with the group and the unauthorized opening of the main entrance to the embassy by the British guard is another fact that proves a covert cooperation. Meanwhile, the UK policeman guarding the embassy was not disarmed by the terrorists till the end of the siege. Normally, terrorists would try to be in a hiding before an operation and do their best not to attract any attention; however, as far as the assailants on the Iranian embassy were concerned there were reports of complaints against the hostage-takers from the neighbors regarding their sexual behaviors and excessive use of alcohols, a few days before attacking the building which ended after police intervention. Moreover, UK official and semi-official media supported the hostage-takers' illegal demands from Iran. All these developments show that the UK government had given the terrorists enough guarantees beforehand.
Q: If the attack was orchestrated by the UK government, why it was so bloody and ended in the death of the hostage-takers?
A. UK Special Force from the Special Air Service (SAS) killed the hostage-takers immediately after their surrender. The murder of the terrorists after their surrender is questionable. Only one of the hostage takers could escape SAS gunfire by hiding among the hostages.
(After the assault ended, the last surviving gunman, Fowzi Nejad, posed as a hostage and was escorted outside the embassy with the others. There, a real hostage quickly identified him as one of the attackers. An SAS soldier began to take him back inside the building, allegedly to be shot. He was prevented from doing so when it was pointed out to him that the world media was watching. There was controversy over the deaths of some of the terrorists, especially of Shai and Makki. They were guarding the Iranian hostages, and towards the end of the raid the hostages persuaded the men to surrender. Hostages witnessed them throw down their weapons and sit on the floor with their hands on their heads when the SAS troops entered the room. Weapons were thrown out of a window and a white flag was seen by video cameras outside. Ahmad Dadgar, a hostage at the time (confirmed by two other hostages) said (of the SAS): “They then took the two terrorists, pushed them against the wall and shot them. They wanted to put an end to the story. That was their job. The hostage-takers certainly had no weapons in their hands at the time”. Initially the group's demands were for autonomy of oil-rich region in southern Iran known as Khūzestān (the Arabistan of the group's name); later they demanded the release of ninety-one of their comrades held in jails in Iran. Frustrated and disappointed with the situation, the hostage takers asked for the intervention of an Arab ambassador to provide them a safe passage but when it became clear this was not going to happen, the situation in the embassy deteriorated.)
Q: Why UK would help some separatists to occupy Iran’s embassy that could risk its police credibility?
A: UK has been the most strategic ally of the United States after the collapse of Great Britain's colonialism. There are close security relations between the two countries' security systems based on mutual interests. UK used the hostage-taking as a tool to pressure Iran in the case of the US Embassy takeover in Iran. In a carefully crafted message, Thatcher at the head of a Conservative government from 1979 to 1990 conveyed a secret message to Tehran in this regard. (British Media quoted Thatcher: "I do however ask that the Imam (Khomeini)... should order the release of the American hostages as a gesture of goodwill to the brave men who risked their lives to free the Iranian hostages and give thanks to God for their safety". Britain's ambassador John Green, who had been recalled from Tehran, flew back to the Iranian capital to deliver the message in person to Iranian president of the time, Abolhassan Bani Sadr.)
Q: Did UK refuse claims about its secret cooperation with the hostage-takers?
A: This criminal operation against Iran's diplomatic mission in London was not pursued by the Foreign Ministry of Iran and world media seriously. Therefore, UK officials have not been questioned on the issue, yet. They have neither confirmed nor refused the questions about Iran’s 1980 London Embassy takeover.
Q: Did London pay compensation to Iran and the martyrs' families?
A: UK did not fulfill its international obligations regarding the protection of Iran's diplomatic mission and did not pay for that. Some of the best Iranian youth were killed in the incident but nobody pursued the rights of their families who were suffering the loss of their dears. In the meantime, Pro-Western officials in the Foreign Ministry of Iran impeded any effort by independent investigators to pressure UK about its legal commitments.
The Iranian embassy was taken over by some terrorists, claimed to be Iranian Arab separatists. The siege was ended when SAS stormed the building in Operation Nimrod. At 11:30 on 30 April 1980, a six-man team calling itself the Democratic Revolutionary Movement for the Liberation of Arabistan (DRMLA) captured the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Prince's Gate, South Kensington in central London. When the group first stormed the building, 26 hostages were taken (including PC Trevor Lock, the police constable on official protection duty at the main entrance, and two visiting BBC personnel – journalist Chris Cramer and sound recordist Sim Harris – who had stopped by to pick up visas), but five were released over the following few days. Police negotiators promised the group that the Jordanian ambassador would intervene to provide safe passage, but when it became clear this was not going to happen, the situation in the embassy deteriorated.
On the sixth day of the siege, the kidnappers killed a hostage, press attaché Abbas Lavasani, who joined up optionally, and threw his body outside. News teams were camped outside the embassy. SAS assault started at 19:23 hours on 5 May 1980. Five of the six militants were killed and 19 hostages were saved. On 14 April 1981, PC Lock was awarded the George Medal for his conduct during the siege. In the aftermath of the siege it was learned that, amazingly, Lock had managed to retain his side arm throughout his imprisonment.
Thatcher and her husband Denis paid a visit to the SAS at Regent's Park barracks after the incident to thank them. "Tom", one of the SAS soldiers present, said of a later meeting with Denis Thatcher: "He had a big grin on his face and said, 'You let one of the bastards live.' We failed in that respect."
The lone surviving terrorist, Fowzi Nejad, was tried and convicted for his part in the siege, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He became eligible for parole in 2005. There was speculation as to whether the United Kingdom would deport him to Iran after his release or grant him political asylum. He was paroled from prison in November 2008 and was not deported to Iran. Instead, he went into hiding with government support and now lives in south London.
Two embassy staff were killed and some were injured during the assault. Lavasani was killed prior to the assault and Ali Akbar Samadzadeh employee at embassy was killed during the assault.
Interview by Mohammad Rahmani
Translated by Hamdollah Emadi Heydari
