Animosity toward Britain is constructive

TEHRAN, Dec.12 (MNA) -- The recent student demonstration in front of the British Embassy in Tehran was an explosion of the people’s animosity and dissatisfaction over Britain’s hostile policies toward Iran. The protest can be analyzed from various perspectives. The first question is whether London has understood the message relayed by the protesters or not. The second major question is whether it was really necessary for a stable political government like Iran to send such a message to the West or not. The third important point is the impact and repercussions of such a move for the Iranian government. The Iranian people were dissatisfied with the practically one-sided nature of diplomatic relations between Iran and the United Kingdom. This was the main reason for the embassy demonstration, and the government was forced to endorse this public demand, although the police and other security forces never hesitated in fulfilling their responsibility to evacuate the angry students from the British Embassy. The Western governments have two options for dealing with the student demonstration. First, they should try to understand the level of the people’s dissatisfaction with their policies in a sovereign country like Iran, and then they should start to correct some of their mistakes, especially their blind support for the imposition of sanctions on Iran. The opposite way to deal with the issue would be to condemn the demonstration without understanding the reasons behind the protest. This would be an attempt to falsely justify the hegemonistic policies of Western governments, including Britain, which are attempting to apply more pressure on Iran to halt the uranium enrichment component of its nuclear program. The intensification of sanctions will not resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran will never isolate itself from the international community. The only option remaining for both sides is to return to the negotiation table and continue the dialogue. The people have the right to express their views on foreign policy issues. However, the Iranian government should also be aware of the consequences of breaching international obligations. Western governments should also stop pursuing hostile policies toward Iran. In this way, a comprehensive solution to the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program can be found. Otherwise, the impasse will continue.