But it does seem like for conservative Iranians, such as the students who yesterday tore through the British Embassy in Tehran, the UK is the true enemy of Iran, perhaps even more so than the dreaded Americans.

Nominally, yesterday's disturbance seems to be about the UK placing sanctions on Iran following the IAEA's damning report on the Iranian nuclear program.

But the two countries have a history of mutual suspision and outright hostility that dates back centuries and goes far beyond sanctions.