Britain reopens its embassy in Iran four years after violent ransacking

The United Kingdom reopened its embassy in Iran for the first time in four years as diplomatic relations improved following July’s nuclear accord, the Foreign Office said.

However the United States, which led the nuclear talks, has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1979 following the 444-day hostage crisis that followed the storming of its Tehran embassy.

The UK is also a signatory to last month’s nuclear deal with Iran, which lifts sanctions in return for imposing curbs on its atomic program.

In an interview in this otherwise elegant example of Victorian architecture, Mr Hammond told the Telegraph why he had not insisted on Iran paying for the damage as a precondition for reopening the Embassy.

London responded by cutting diplomatic contacts to their lowest level, while not severing ties completely.

The reestablishment of the embassies does not mean that the two sides agree on everything, according to Hammond.

Accompanying Hammond is a small group of business leaders, including representatives from Royal Dutch Shell, Energy and mining services company Amec Foster Wheeler and Scottish industrial engineering firm Weir Group.

“Maintaining dialogue even under the most hard conditions is crucially important”, Hammond said during a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. They accused the country and its media, including the BBC, of fomenting unrest and encouraging rioters in Iran after the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

In a historic step in the thawing of relations between Tehran and Western powers, Hammond on August 23 declared the British embassy open and raised the Union Jack flag within the garden of the 19th century residence in the heart of Tehran.

“The Iranians will simultaneously re-open their embassy in London”.

He said that the reopening of the embassies was a key step to improving bilateral relations.

The two countries will have to tackle the common challenges of the region including regional stability, terrorism, the spread of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, illegal drug trading and migration.

The visit comes after Iran and world powers agreed a deal last month to end the nuclear dispute. “That will bring benefits for Britain and the Iranian people”. In June past year, the then Foreign Secretary William Hague proposed the reopening of the embassy.

Following the storming which Prime Minister David Cameron referred to as a “shame”, Britain shut the embassy and expelled Iran’s diplomats from London.