S E C R E T LONDON 001851
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2019
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, UK, IR
SUBJECT: IRAN: FCO SHARES LESSONS LEARNED ON DETAINEES
Classified By: Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs Greg Berry, rea
sons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (S) SUMMARY: In a meeting with Iran Watcher (poloff)
August 11, Will Gelling, Tom Burn and Rachel Martinek of the
FCO's Iran office shared lessons learned from the detention
of British sailors by Iran in 2007 and more recently the
arrest of nine local staff members from the British Embassy
in Tehran. They also provided an update on the status of
their senior locally engaged political analyst, Hosein
Rassam, currently one of dozens of subjects of a show trial
underway in Tehran. A legal analysis provided to the UK
Embassy in Tehran by Rassam's privately-retained attorney
(strictly protect) has been sent via classified e-mail to
NEA/IR. END SUMMARY.
UK SAILORS AND EMBASSY STAFF; DIFFERENT STAKES, DIFFERENT
APPROACHES
2. (S) Although none of the three FCO officers were involved
directly in securing the release of the UK sailors detained
in 2007, they were able to share a few points on the approach
of HMG to the crisis. Tom Burn, fresh back from Tehran after
being expelled by the IRIG last month (Note: He was the
political officer expelled as part of the tit for tat
expulsion of two UK diplomats from Tehran and two Iranian
officials from London. End note.), said lobbying by
"unexpected actors" had paid dividends in the case of the UK
sailors. The sailors were captured by the IRGC navy about a
week before an OIC ministerial meeting, and HMG lobbied Gulf
states vigorously in advance of the ministerial to raise the
issue with Iranian FM Mottaki. Mottaki is known to have
delivered the message back to Tehran that the IRIG had run
afoul not only of the UK, but of regional governments as
well. Ali Larijani, who at the time was Supreme National
Security Council Secretary and represented a more pragmatic
counterpoint to the IRGC, also was an important conduit to
the regime. The UK also came out quickly and forcefully in
public with its version of events (i.e., that the soldiers
were unlawfully captured in international waters), but
refused to respond to taunts from the IRIG.
3. (S) The cases of the UK Embassy local staff detained by
the IRIG required a different approach. Unlike in the case
of the sailors, Gulf states, while sympathetic, declined to
intervene with the IRIG on behalf of the embassy staffers for
fear of being accused of "interfering in internal Iranian
politics." Turkey, however, had proved extremely helpful in
delivering strongly-worded messages to the IRIG on behalf of
HMG. But it appears that EU unity proved one of the most
crucial elements in securing the release of the embassy
staff. HMG was able to tell the IRIG that if the staff were
not released by date "x," the EU would take unified action
against Iran.
UK LOCAL STAFFER INCLUDED IN SHOW TRIAL
4. (S) HMG remains very concerned about the fate of its
senior local political analyst, Hosein Rassam, who is one of
dozens of defendants in the ongoing show trial in Tehran.
FCO provided poloff with an analyis of the "trial" by
Rassam's privately-retained attorney (strictly protect).
(Note: The analysis was sent by classified e-mail to NEA/IR.
End note.) It is difficult to know how long the trial will
last, as it is clear the proceedings are a political process
aimed at intimidating the opposition, not a legal one.
Meanwhile, HMG continues to demand the charges against Rassam
be dropped and all embassy staff be permitted to return to
work.
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