Lessons of a hostage crisis

by Gareth Smith May 1, 2007

written by Gareth Smith May 1, 2007

The United States’ cold war with Iran has taken aseries of sinister turns in recent weeks. Hopes of regionalco-operation over Iraq’s future are just one victim ofWashington’s drive to apply the thumbscrews. The good news was Tehran’s release of 15 British sailors andmarines, and the freeing in Baghdad of Jalal Sharafi, secondsecretary in Iran’s embassy, after his kidnap two months agoapparently by Iraqi special forces. But the bad news was weightier. Washington has now allegedTehran has supplied lethal weaponry not just to insurgentsin Iraq but to the resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan. In turn, there is increasing anger in Tehran over thedetention since January of five Iranians seized by US forcesfrom a consulate building in Arbil, northern Iraq. The case,which began shortly after George Bush announced a ‘new Iraqstrategy’ that basically consisted of countering Iran, isfor Tehran a disturbing sign of hostile US intentions. Rumors of tit-for-tat seizures were encouraged by

Gareth Smith

Gareth Smith was a distinguished journalist who reported from the Middle East for over two decades. He served as the Financial Times correspondent in Tehran, where he was the chief Iran correspondent from 2003, following his earlier role as Lebanon correspondent. Throughout his career, Smith covered Middle Eastern affairs for leading media outlets, including The Financial Times, The Guardian, and the BBC. He also contributed as an editor to Executive magazine. His work as a freelance journalist in the 1990s, focusing on the politics of Iran and Iraq, paved the way for his appointment at the FT. In 2009, he relocated to the west coast of Ireland, where he balanced freelance journalism with his passion for nature and the land.

Lessons of a hostage crisis

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