EU Diplomatic Machinations

EU vs. Iran: the diplomatic battle. Sounds like a failed videogame title, but actually, this is very significant. What's happened? The EU Presidency (currently the Czech Republic) has asked member states to "summon Iran envoys". That means they're trying to present Iran a unified diplomatic, confrontational front. This is not just a summons to have tea together, this is a summons to call them to account, to give an answer for the events in Iran.

Imagine all 26 countries in the EU recalling their ambassadors from Iran and expelling Iran's diplomats from their own countries...what has happened is the first step in that process. I'm not saying that such a process will ever reach that point, but this is a step in that direction. This is very serious for diplomacy. When a country recalls their ambassador from another country, it kind of means that the recalling country no longer recognizes the legitimacy of that country.

Of course, the US hasn't had an ambassador in Iran since 1979. So for everyone who's saying that the US stance on the current Iran crisis is inadequate, and that we should follow the European lead, well, perhaps we might rethink that.

UPDATE: From NIAC: "BBC Persian is reporting [Farsi] that Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering the expulsion of some European ambassadors in response to their positions on recent events. Hasan Ghashghavi, the speaker of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that the behavior and statements by these countries and appropriate actions are being examined and evaluated. Ghashghavi has accused the European countries and the United States of supporting the 'agitators' instead of inviting the people of Iran to participate in democratic processes and emphasizing the rule of law."