The initial willingness of the Iranian authorities to hide the truth about the crash of the Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing, and the outbreak of new protests in Iran, have further increased international pressure on the Islamic Republic. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has thus seized the opportunity of these new signs of a dispute, which has so far been limited. Sunday, on Twitter and in capital letters, he warned the authorities of the Islamic Republic, ordering them not to kill "Their demonstrators". The day before, he had alluded to the large-scale protest movement in November 2019. "Thousands of people have already been killed or imprisoned by you, and the world is watching you", warned Trump on Twitter, adding: "More importantly, the United States is watching. "
In the evening, a barrage of rockets was also fired against American installations in Baghdad. Attacks of this nature had multiplied in the week before the escalation that led to the assassination of General Soleimani.
"Unidentified foreigner"
Another source of tension, the British ambassador to Tehran, Rob Macaire, who participated in the unauthorized ceremony organized on Saturday in Tehran, to pay tribute to the victims of the crash, was very briefly detained by the police. . London did not fail to denounce a "Gross violation of international law", probably due more to the excitement and confusion of the security forces than to the authorities' willingness to throw themselves into a new international crisis. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Twitter that Ambassador Macaire had been arrested as"Unidentified foreigner participating in an illegal gathering".
The opportunity was, however, seized by the hardest fringe of the regime, some representatives of whom accuse the ambassador of organizing the demonstrations in person. On Sunday, dozens of supporters of the regime organized by Bassij militias gathered in front of the British embassy, demanding the expulsion of the top diplomat and the closure of British representation in the country.
Qatar's diplomatic efforts
On Sunday, London also signed with Paris and Berlin, European members of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, a declaration calling on Tehran to renounce all violent action in the future and to reverse the series of gradual exit measures. of the agreement, initiated by the Islamic Republic in May, and decided in reaction to the tightening of American sanctions.
Tehran’s tightening ties with the Europeans were manifested as diplomatic efforts by Iran’s neighbors appeared to accelerate on Sunday in the capital of the Islamic Republic. On that day, Iranian President Hassan Rohani welcomed Emir Tamim Al Thani of Qatar. The monarch, whose first official visit to the country, was also received by the Guide. In an open crisis with Saudi and Emirati opponents of Iran, who have imposed a blockade on it since 2017, Qatar maintains good relations with Tehran and can make its voice heard in Washington. Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Pakistani foreign minister, was also scheduled to travel to Iran before joining Saudi Arabia on Monday.
