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Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Iranian students stormed the British embassy in Tehran Tuesday, breaking down the door, throwing around papers and replacing the British flag with an Iranian one.
Iran's Press TV reported that police had the incident under control, but Britain's Foreign Office called the situation "fluid" and said "details are still emerging."\'There has been a incursion by a significant number of demonstrators into our Embassy premises, including vandalism to our property," the Foreign Office said. "We are outraged by this. It is utterly unacceptable and we condemn it."
The Foreign Office added that "under international law, including the Vienna Convention, the Iranian Government have a clear duty to protect diplomats and Embassies in their country and we expect them to act urgently to bring the situation under control and ensure the safety of our staff and security of our property."The incursion happened during a protest demanding that the British ambassador be sent home immediately.
A crowd of about 1,000 people gathered near the embassy for the anti-British demonstration, and had been peaceful before some participants storming the building. A CNN producer on the scene also saw protesting students throwing stones at the embassy's windows.
The Iranian Parliament voted Sunday to expel the ambassador and reduce diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom in retaliation for newly-imposed Western sanctions, according to Iran's IRNA news agency. The vote must go to the Guardian Council for approval.
The Foreign Office called the Iranian Parliament's vote Sunday "regrettable."
Iranian protest leads to embassy incursion - CNN.com
The Iranian security forces are currently working to secure the Embassy back from the protestors, but it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to suggest that someone in the Iranian government encouraged this incident to occur and at the very least failed to protect the embassy in accordance with international law.
I would be equally disgusted if the Iranian embassy was over run in London by British students, Diplomats, Embassy Staff and Embassies are not fair game in my honest opinion.
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