Britain to reopen embassy in Tehran

Philip Hammond will be the first foreign secretary to visit Tehran in 14 years when it officially reopens the embassy at the weekend, the Guardian has reported.

“The Foreign Secretary (Philip Hammond) will travel to Iran to reopen our embassy there”, the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity as the trip has not been formally announced.

Hammond’s Tehran trip comes on the heels of visits from his French and Italian counterparts, as well as the EU’s foreign policy chief.

Britain, which said the storming of the embassy could not have taken place without the consent of the Iranian authorities, responded by shutting Iran’s embassy in London and expelling its diplomats. The protesters damaged property, looted residences and burned the British flag.

Iran will also reopen its embassy in London as relations between the two countries ease following a deal reached in July over Iran’s nuclear program.

The group will be led by Ajay Sharma, who has been non-resident charge d’affaires since 2013. A new British ambassador has been chosen but not yet announced.

It was expected the countries would improve diplomatic relations two years ago and reopen their embassies, but technical issues delayed those plans. British officials wanted to restore the technology before re-opening the embassy, but found themselves constrained by Iranian regulations on diplomatic deliveries.

The last British foreign secretary to travel to Iran was Jack Straw in September 2001, after a brief reconciliation in ties between the Islamic Republic and the West after the 9/11 attacks left them both facing a common enemy, the Taliban.