On Nov. 1, Iran designated Britain’s MI-6 intelligence service as a “hostile group,” and the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist groups. PressTV ran a long article, dated Nov. 10, explaining the reasons for these designations, identifying, among other things, the long history of British hostility towards Iran. “The November 1 designations are not an isolated response but the culmination of a century of British intervention, espionage and military aggression against Iran. The record is long, documented and central to Iranian national memory,” PressTV reported. “Britain’s hostile role predates MI6 itself. During the nineteenth century, London competed with Tsarist Russia for influence over Persia in the Great Game, pressuring the Qajar government and intervening in the country’s affairs to control strategic decisions in Tehran.”

The list of British interventions includes the following:

• The British-Soviet invasion of Aug. 25, 1941, despite Iran’s declared neutrality in World War II

• The 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, which became the most enduring symbol of British intelligence hostility

• The bugging of the Iranian embassy in London, disclosed by then-President Hashemi Rafsanjani in May of 1994