This is a shadowy role but of keen importance in this period of regional crisis in the Middle East. Switzerland, a neutral country, and its embassy in Tehran, have acted as a factor between the Iranian and American authorities since the 1980s, after the closure of the American embassy in Tehran in 1979, a consequence of the Islamic Revolution and the Iranian crisis. hostages.
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It has now been 44 years since the Swiss embassy in Tehran acts as a relay between Washington and the Iranian authorities. A channel which has been of great help in the past, in the context of prisoner exchanges between these two countries.
Bern performs the function of “ protective power », as specified in the additional protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. A fundamental role which makes it possible to maintain a semblance of relations between two countries considered enemies. It is also through this channel that the United States would have been warned of the attack unprecedented launched by Iran last Saturday on Israel.
Furthermore, it is not only in Tehran that Berne represents American interests. This has also been the case in Venezuela for almost a decade, as well as in Cuba until 2015 and the reopening of the American embassy in Havana.
“ The protection mandate in Iran is one of the most comprehensive »
According to a former Swiss ambassador to Iran: “ The protection mandate in Iran is one of the most comprehensive. Switzerland provides consular services to US nationals in Iran – with the exception of granting visas. While at the diplomatic level, it offers a confidential channel to maintain a minimum of communication between the two governments, which no longer speak directly to each other. »
It is therefore the Swiss embassy in Tehran which was warned of the attack launched by Iran on Saturday April 13, and it was also the one which transmitted to Washington the warnings from the Iranian authorities in the event of reprisals.
An essential function, while the tension continues to increase In the region. The Swiss authorities have mastered this mission perfectly and have continually played this role in many countries and during numerous conflicts, notably during the two world wars.
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