Expert: Britain tabbed as enemy in Iran

TEHRAN, July 17 (UPI) -- An expert in Middle Eastern affairs says Britain is viewed by some Iranians as a longtime enemy of the country, even overshadowing the United States.

Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Middle Eastern studies director at Syracuse University, said older Iranians view the United States' involvement in their country as minute when compared to Britain's history with the country, The Washington Post said Friday.

"To the older generation of Iranians, it's as if the sun has never gone down on the British Empire," Boroujerdi said. "They are considered the masters of political intrigue, and players such as the U.S. are considered to be novices, new kids on the block."

Since Iran's recent presidential election, the hardline administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has arrested British Embassy staff members and expelled two British diplomats.

Ali Ansari, an Iranian history professor at Scotland's University of St. Andrews, told the Post such actions are likely indicative of Ahmadinejad and his administration's take on Britain.

"They're really obsessed with Britain in a way that even previous Iranian governments, even in the Islamic republic, haven't been," Ansari said.