Russia is rapidly turning into the new Iran

The Russians need to tread very carefully over their threat to seize the assets of British companies in Russia. This is the kind of action that is guaranteed to turn a country into an international pariah, one that is shunned by the international community and isolated from the norms of diplomatic contact.

Iran's international isolation, you will remember, began when the Revolutionary Guards overran the American Embassy in Tehran in the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian revolution, and then proceeded to hold 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage for 444 days. To the best of my knowledge no one was killed during that incident, but this violent violation of American interests confirmed the Iranian regime's status as an international outcast, a status it still enjoys to this day.

Apartheid South Africa suffered a similar fate for nearly 30 years over its refusal to end its policy of institutionalised racism against large sections of its population. It took the release of Nelson Mandela to bring the country back into the international fold, even though many would argue that the anti-white policies pursued by Jacob Zuma's ANC regime are not that different from those pursued during the apartheid era.

And unless the Kremlin has a radical rethink about its attitude to the disaster of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, it could soon find itself in a similar place to Iran.

Let's not forget that we are talking here about the loss of 298 innocent lives – the majority of them Europeans – who were killed by a Russian-made missile fired by pro-Russian rebels.

Apart from impeding efforts by international rescue teams to get to the crash site to recover the bodies, the families and friends of the deceased have also had to deal with the utterly repellent and harrowing news that the credit cards and other personal effects of the deceased were looted, and have in some instances been used to steal cash.

In such circumstances any normal government would be shamed into offering its fullest support for the post-crash investigation, and trying in any way impossible to make amends.

But that is now how Russian President Vladimir Putin and the bunch of former FSB hoods – the sivoliki, or strong men, as they are known in Moscow – who run the Kremlin do things. Rather than accepting any responsibility for their role in the atrocity, they are now threatening to seize the assets of British oil firms operating in Russia in retaliation for any sanctions that might be imposed for Russia's refusal to end its disastrous policy of meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine.

Let's see if Mr Putin's Russia is really that dysfunctional. But if they really are stupid enough to go ahead with their threat, then they can wave goodbye to any future prospect of constructive relations with the civilised world, and say hello to the rogue state status they will most certainly deserve.

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