The Iranian Embassy siege took place between 30 April to 5 May 1980, after a group of six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy on Prince’s Gate in South Kensington, London. The final 12 minutes of the siege ended with the SAS storming the embassy. This book is a close examination of the politics of the Middle East in that time (especially between Iraq and Iran), the role of Margaret Thatcher and her inflexible nature, what happened within the embassy during the siege and the impact it had on those held hostage and, of course, the SAS and its role.

Ben Macintyre has gone to great lengths to get the full picture. He interviewed those who survived the siege, those who ran the operation and the members of the SAS involved. The result is a tightly woven story, not only about the siege but the geopolitical background and the resulting consequences.

The story of the siege is written from the perspective of what was happening within the embassy and outside, including government’s and police’s response. The final chapter looks at the consequences of the siege for the government, security services and the hostages and others involved.

What made this siege even more remarkable was it was broadcast on live television, the BBC even cut from the final frame of the World Snooker Championship to show the SAS attacking the embassy, while ITV waited for the end of Coronation Street before going live.

This is a fascinating, well-researched book, not just for the siege story but the background to it and the way in which the authorities responded.

Reviewed by Anthony Llewellyn-Evans

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ben Macintyre is a writer-at-large for The Times (U.K.) and the bestselling author of The Spy and the Traitor, A Spy Among Friends, Double Cross, Operation Mincemeat, Agent Zigzag, and Rogue Heroes, among other books. Macintyre has also written and presented BBC documentaries of his work.