The Siege: A Six-Day Hostage Crisis and the Daring Special-Forces Operation That Shocked the World

In spring 1980, six armed gunmen seized the Iranian embassy in London, taking twenty-six hostages. Over the following six days, a tense standoff unfolded with the potential to turn violent at any moment. Policeman Trevor Lock was taken hostage despite carrying a hidden gun. The gunmen were educated Arabs seeking to force Britain to support their independence struggle against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had funded the operation as part of his conflict with Iran. As police negotiators engaged the gunmen and rival protesters clashed outside, MI6 and the CIA gathered intelligence while Britain's SAS special forces prepared a rescue operation. Inside, hostages used cunning to resist their captors. On the sixth day, after the terrorists killed the embassy press attaché, the SAS launched their raid, leading to a deadly climax. Based on exclusive interviews and previously unseen files, this account reconstructs the week-long crisis involving ordinary people under extreme pressure—an event with historical significance extending to subsequent decades.