The Siege: 'fresh and gripping' account of the Iranian embassy hostage crisis
Ben Macintyre has produced a 'masterful' narrative of the real-life 1980 drama

"For those of us of a certain age (62, since you ask), the extraordinary events of 5 May 1980 will remain indelibly etched on our memories," said Andrew Anthony in The Observer.
That day, the SAS stormed the Iranian embassy in London – ending a six-day siege that had begun when six gunmen entered the embassy, taking 26 hostages, four of them Britons. Now, the nation watched "transfixed" as "mysterious" black-clad figures in balaclavas smashed their way into the stuccoed building before killing five of the gunmen and liberating 24 of the hostages (one had already been shot dead by the captors; another died during the assault). In those "few action-packed minutes", the SAS "went from obscurity to global renown".
Now Ben Macintyre, a "seasoned documenter of the British establishment's cloaked histories", has produced an "exhaustive" and "gripping" account of the siege – one that reveals it as a more "complex and thought-provoking" affair than its dramatic denouement suggested.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The gunmen weren't "the Ayatollah's lot", said James Owen in The Sunday Times: they were Arabic-speaking Iranians from the southwest Khuzestan province, who had been relentlessly persecuted by the new Islamic regime. Their leader, "Salim", was a "poetry-loving graduate" who had been radicalised by the execution of his brother by the security services. Macintyre shows that Salim and his fellow gunmen had been "manipulated by Iraqi intelligence", who'd "organised the attack to destabilise Iran". They demanded the release of political prisoners in Khuzestan and their own safe passage out of the UK. Since neither Iran nor Britain was likely to cede to these demands, failure was baked into the mission from the start.
Macintryre revels in the period details, said Colin Freeman in The Telegraph: the Old Spice aftershave the unwashed gunmen drenched themselves in; the John Player Specials sent in by the negotiators to "calm frayed nerves". He captures the "complex power-relationships" inside the embassy: at one point, Salim gathered hostages and hostage-takers together for a "get-to-know-you session".
But hopes of a peaceful ending to the siege were dashed when a confrontation between some of the gunmen and the embassy's "resident Revolutionary Guardsman" resulted in the latter being shot dead. Minutes later, Thatcher sent in the SAS, who abseiled down from the roof and smashed windows to get in. Macintyre has produced a "masterful" narrative that, despite the many books and films on this topic, still feels "fresh and gripping".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What is credit card churning and why is it risky?
the explainer Churners frequently open new credit cards with the intent of earning a welcome bonus and accessing other perks
-
Will NATO countries meet their new spending goal?
today's big question The cost of keeping Trump happy
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
5 high-concept animated science fiction shows for grown-ups
The Week Recommends How filmmakers are using a different medium to bring visionary science fiction to life
-
Lovestuck: a 'warm-hearted' musical with a 'powerhouse score'
The Week Recommends Team behind the hit podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno have created a hilarious show about a disastrous viral Tinder date
-
Outrageous: glossy Mitford family drama is full of 'fun, fashion and froth'
The Week Recommends Adaptation of Mary Lovell's biography examines the scandalous lives of the aristocratic sisters
-
F1: The Movie – a fun but formulaic 'corporate tie-in'
Talking Point Brad Pitt stars as a washed up racing driver returning three decades after a near-fatal crash
-
Lost Boys: a 'sobering' journey to the heart of the manosphere
The Week Recommends James Bloodworth examines the 'cranks and hucksters' making money through 'masculine discontent'
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts
-
Critics' choice: Carrying the flag
Feature The best barbecue in town, Bradley Cooper's cheesesteak restaurant, and more
-
Film review: Materialists
Feature Two suitors seek to win over a jaded matchmaker