Adam
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are among the biggest adversaries in the world. With apparent competing regional and geo-strategic interests and diametrically opposed political ideologies and religious institutions, one could easily make the argument that Saudi and Iran have vastly more pronounced differences than North and South Korea who share a common historic culture and ethnicity.
But the primarily Sunni-Arab Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Shi’a Islamic Republic of Iran are set to have a diplomatic mission visit one another’s capitals to inspect former embassy properties which have been vacant for two years following the formal severing of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi confirmed the visits, stating,
“The Saudi delegation simply comes to visit diplomatic buildings because the buildings have been empty after the two countries broke off relations. At the same time, we will visit our buildings in Saudi Arabia.
This is a bilateral agreement under which Iranian and Saudi delegations will travel to each other to visit their diplomatic sites in Riyadh and Tehran”.
Far from engaging in improved relations, Iran blames a recent ISIS terrorist attack in Tehran on Saudi Arabia , while Iran also accuses the Saudi regime of making it difficult for Iranian pilgrims to travel to Mecca for the annual Hajj.
In spite of this, both countries appear to be respecting the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations which states that while it is lawful to expel diplomats from a country, it is illegal for a receiving country (aka host country) to violate the sovereignty of diplomatic and consular properties.
The inspections which will be conducted by Saudi delegates in Tehran and Iranian delegates in Riyadh, are the legal and proper way to maintain checks on diplomatic facilities at a time of broken-off foreign relations.
This comes as the United Nations certified that Iran is in full compliance with the 2013 so-called Nuclear Deal, in spite of Trump administration allegations to the contrary.
While the US and Russian maintain diplomatic relations, they have taken a step which is far more drastic and manifestly illegal vis-a-vis the actions of Iran and Saudi Arabia. In this sense the US authorities can learn an important lesson in international law from both Iran and Saudi.
READ MORE: US actions against Russian diplomatic and consular property are illegal–here’s why
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
hubris or hybris
noun
1. Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance
2. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) (in Greek tragedy) an excess of ambition, pride, etc, ultimately causing the transgressor’s ruin.
Yes and crucially “ultimately causing the transgressor’s ruin” because that which is excessive is ignorance, wilfull and “blind” at the same time, of nature. In the face of nature one is responsible for one’s blindness. Many “laws” may indeed be merely conventonal, man-made or differing from place to place, but the inexorable outcome of what was performed in ancient Athenian Greece as “tragedy” (which only means “song”) was celebrated (always in the context of religious festivals) as the intersection of aesthetic perception, accessible to each and everyone, with the force of nature. Yes, Oidipus was “fated” to do what he… Read more »
As with most Junta’s and fascist/ right-wing regimes which have seized illegitimate power – conventions mean nothing. So not surprisingly we witness such crass actions which break all conventions and rules in the US as well as in it’s eastern enclave of Ukraine.
What a shame! Over the weekend, you have let that horrible font be used for quotations again. Why? Last week you found a much better alternative, used that for a few days, but have now,apparently reverted to the hard-to-read font that you introduced with your re-design. Come on! Give your readers a break. Go back to the font and type-style that you used for a while last week!
Saudi Arabia is a Zionist colony as the establishment of jihad against the umma, ie against the Muslims. Iran is capable of defending itself against the great Zionist enemy
The US has, with its own subconscious, twisted and consummately hypocritical logic, ‘stooped’ to the level of Iran. CIANN will not go there to the Iranian seizure of the US Embassy in Teheran in the 1960’s I believe).
Cloaked in its indispensable exceptionalism, the US does not even notice the discord between its self-delusions and reaiity. Luckily, the sane majority of the world notices.
There is only one thing uglier than an ugly American – a naked and ugly American.
“seizure of the US Embassy in Teheran in the 1960’s”
It was in 1979
Yes. Thank you. I corrected it in later references.
Happy to help. Its no problem Franz, you had mentioned in your comment you were not sure of the date, not many are!
A loud applause to diplomacy
Yanks know what they’re at and really don’t care. They also know that they’ll gain nothing but a negative response as all they’ll find are their own reflections. Russian embassies (or any other for that matter) only house Info about the country they are located in. Why would Russia hold anything in a foreign land that may be detremental to Russia. The Yanks can’t hope to find anything they hadn’t given the russians in the first place. The embassy raids are just to rub salt into wounds.
Here’s the full text of the Vienna Convention ( http://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdf ), but check out Article 22 and, especially, Article 45 below: Article 22 1.The premises of the mission shall be inviolable. The agents of the receiving State may not enter them, except with the consent of the head of the mission. 2.The receiving State is under a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity. 3.The premises of the mission, their furnishings and… Read more »