Britain names ambassador to Iran as relations improve

Britain appointed Nicholas Hopton as its first ambassador to Iran since relations were severed following the storming of the UK Embassy in Tehran by students five years ago.

The Islamic Republic named Hamid Baeidinejad, the director general for political and global security affairs at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, as its new ambassador to Britain, an informed source said on Monday.

Baidinejad acted as director general for political and global affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs before heading to London as ambassador.

Mr Hopton joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 1989 and was the British ambassador to Qatar from 2013 to 2015.

Baeedinejad and Hopton met simultaneously with Foreign Minister Zarif on Monday.

“The Islamic Republic will continue to explicitly express its views in a bilateral manner, and so on”, the official added.

Members of the Iranian revolutionary guard march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran September 22, 2011.

Iran and Britain have reportedly exchanged ambassadors for the first time since 2011 in another sign of warming relations between the two countries. A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister underlined that the United Kingdom would continue to play an active role in support of full implementation of the deal, including efforts to enhance banking cooperation between the United Kingdom and Iran”. The two countries agreed to restore full diplomatic relations in 2014.

Baeidinejad was a member of the Iranian negotiating team for its nuclear deal with the worldwide community.

Mr Hammond last August became the first Foreign Secretary to visit the Iranian capital in almost 12 years. The embassies of both countries were officially reopened previous year.