All Sections of British Embassy in Tehran to Resume Activities
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s non-resident chargé d’affaires in Britain said the British embassy in Tehran will soon be reopened.
Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh stated that all sections of British embassy will resume their activities in the near future.
“Currently, talks are underway for fully reopening the two countries’ respective embassies,” ICANA news agency quoted him as saying.
Habibollahzadeh noted that the Iranian embassy’s consular section, which was re-launched earlier this year, is currently providing consular services to the Iranian nationals residing in Britain and that other sections of the embassy are also excepted to recommence their activities.
Tehran-London relations became tense three years ago. On November 27, 2011, a large majority of Iranian lawmakers voted to downgrade diplomatic ties with Britain, following Britain's decision to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran.
Later, a group of angry Iranian students stormed the British embassy in Tehran and pulled down that country’s flag.
Following the incident, Britain withdrew its diplomatic staff from the country on November 30 and asked Iran’s diplomatic delegation in London to leave within 48 hours.
Iran and Britain agreed in October last year to appoint non-resident chargé d’affaires as a first step towards reopening their respective embassies.
The development followed a September meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his British counterpart William Hague in New York, during which the two top diplomats discussed ways to improve Tehran-London ties.
