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".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is the UK worth investing in?
Today's big question Labour looks to woo business and reverse years of underinvestment in search for holy grail of growth
By The Week UK Published
-
Top cooking shows for foodies
The Week Recommends From Bake Off to Chef's Table, these mouth-watering TV shows will inspire you in the kitchen
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
The four presidents who were assassinated in office
The Explainer The unlucky men who fell victim to successful plots against their lives
By David Faris Published
-
Top cooking shows for foodies
The Week Recommends From Bake Off to Chef's Table, these mouth-watering TV shows will inspire you in the kitchen
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Kris Kristofferson: the free-spirited country music star who studied at Oxford
In the Spotlight The songwriter, singer and film-star has died aged 88
By The Week UK Published
-
Take an island-hopping trip around Brittany
The Week Recommends From neolithic monuments to colourful harbours, there is much to discover
By The Week UK Published
-
Why has Joker: Folie à Deux divided critics?
Talking Point The sequel to Joker is 'staggeringly inept' in its attempts to explore mental health issues – but Lady Gaga is 'magnetic'
By The Week UK Published
-
Lindsey Hilsum shares her favourite books of poetry
The Week Recommends The journalist and author shares works by James Fenton, Sharon Olds and more
By The Week UK Published
-
Take advantage of sublime October weather at these 7 hotels
The Week Recommends Rain, snow and sleet will absolutely not be keeping you from your destination
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular – an 'exhilarating and life-affirming' show
The Week Recommends 'Showstopping' set-pieces have audience in 'raptures' at Glasgow Hydro
By The Week UK Published
-
A Different Man: 'original and daring' film starring Marvel veteran Sebastian Stan
The Week Recommends 'Bleakly funny' satire explores the very different lives of two men with neurofibromatosis
By The Week UK Published