Britain and Iran reopen their embassies

TEHRAN: British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond reopened the British Embassy in Tehran yesterday, nearly four years after it was closed following an attack by hardliners, Iranian state TV reported.

Hammond arrived in Tehran yesterday to attend the reopening ceremony and to hold talks with Iranian officials. The trip marked the first time a British foreign secretary had visited Tehran since 2003.

Britain has had no diplomatic presence in Tehran since hardliners protesting against the imposition of international sanctions stormed it in November 2011, but the election of President Hassan Rouhani and the recent nuclear deal between Iran and world powers have brought about a significant diplomatic thaw.

The Iranian Embassy in London was simultaneously reopened, the ISNA news agency said.

“Four years on from an attack on the British Embassy, I am today reopening it,” Hammond said in a prepared statement. “Our relationship has improved since 2011. President Rouhani’s election and last month’s nuclear agreement were important milestones. I believe that we have the potential to go much further.”

Terrorism, regional stability, and the spread of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq are among the challenges Britain and Iran should be prepared to work together on, Hammond said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed the reopening of the British Embassy, saying it showed Iran’s regional and global significance.

“The world has realised Iran’s constructive role in the region and the globe,” state TV quoted Zarif as saying.

“Of course we have differences with some European countries but that can be negotiated through interaction and a realistic approach.”

Hammond and the new British charge d’affaires, Ajay Sharma, attended the reopening ceremony with representatives of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Office said. – AP