UK embassy in Iran reopens after diplomatic thaw

Britain and Iran will reopen their respective embassies in the coming days, an Iranian official said, four years after protesters angry over nuclear sanctions stormed the UK mission in Tehran.

In November 2011, hundreds of Islamist demonstrators protesting against Western sanctions stormed and ransacked the British embassy in Tehran.

Hammond’s Tehran trip, the first by a British foreign secretary in almost 12 years, follows visits from the French and Italian foreign ministers, Germany’s vice chancellor, and the European Union’s foreign policy chief.

With the new development, Takht Ravanchi added, the status of non-resident charge d’affaires of the two countries will change into resident.

Majid Takht-e-Ravanchi also told state television on Saturday that the Iranian Embassy in London also will reopen at the same time.

The British Embassy plaque in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, August 22, …

Mr Hammond and Treasury minister Damian Hinds will travel to Tehran with a small trade delegation, including the Institute of Directors, British Bankers’ Association, Amec Foster Wheeler, Shell Upstream worldwide , Confederation of British Industry, the Weir Group and Benoy, to discuss opportunities following the historic nuclear agreement.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond will formally reopen the country’s embassy in Iranian capital Tehran on Sunday, almost four years after it was shut down due to a mob attack, a media report said. I believe that we have the potential to go much further.

“This move does not mean that we agree on everything”.