UK's Hammond to visit Tehran for embassy re-opening

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

In view of taking benefits from the cooperation with Iran after the removal of international sanction, the United Kingdom has voiced commitment to restore the relations with the Islamic Republic.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is expected to visit Tehran on August 23 to take part in re-opening of the UK embassy, the Iranian Foreign Ministry told Trend on August 20.

The source in the source added that the British embassy would resume its work in Tehran.

British officials have repeteadly voiced their intentions to re-open the British embassy in Tehran, after it closed following an attack in 2011.

The relations between Iran and Britain remained tense for a long time due to disagreements on Iran's nuclear program. The relations were even more complicated by Iran's allegations that Britain intelligence services had a hand in the murder of nuclear physicist Majid Shahriari in November 29, 2010.

The Iranian parliament approved a draft law envisaging a complete break of diplomatic relations with Britain in December 2010.

The improvement in relations came as the P5+1 group countries and Iran reached an agreement over the nuclear dispute over Iran’s nuclear energy program in Vienna in mid-July.

However, an Iranian lawmaker said the country should take necessary measures to prevent UK interference in the country’s domestic affairs after the UK embassy in Tehran is reopened.

Iranian MP Mansour Haqiqatpour, who is also member of the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told Trend on August 21 that what is important in reopening the embassy is to take preventive measures to make sure the UK does not carry out actions similar to what it did during the 2009 sedition.

“We have authorized the Foreign Ministry to rebuild relations with the UK whenever it sees fit,” Haqiqatpour said, adding that Iran is after all in favor of conducting relations with the UK.

In October 2013, The UK and Iran agreed on the appointment of chargé d'affaires to restore diplomatic relations which broke off after the British embassy in Tehran was attacked in 2011.

However, the change of power in Iran, and the work on an agreement on Iran's nuclear program has had a positive impact on current relations between the two countries.

Mehrdad Emadi, consultant at the U.K.-based Betamatrix International Consultancy considered that the reopening of the UK Embassy in Tehran is rather economically-motivated than politically.

He told Trend that the visit by Hammond to Tehran is not only to reopen the embassy, but above that, it shows the significance of Iran as an investment opportunity and a market to sell capital goods in a highly attractive market.

Hammond earlier said British companies will have noted very clearly the fact that the agreement that has been made will, if all goes according to plan, lead to the gradual relaxation of sanctions and, as important, the release of a significant value of Iranian frozen assets.

He said he expected the immediate focus of the investment by Iran to be on improving hydrocarbon infrastructure to increase production, rather than fresh exploration.