The election in 2013 of Rouhani, a moderate, opened the way for progress on worldwide talks about Iran’s disputed nuclear programme and an improvement in the country’s relations with the West.
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On regional efforts against violence and extremism, Iranian Foreign Minister said it is in the interest of both Iran and Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism in the region as he expressed the Islamic Republic’s willingness to cooperate with regional players on the issue of terrorism. Italy’s foreign minister was quick to head to Tehran, too; the country is also in the forefront of cultural exchanges, lending four classical sculptures, including one from the Vatican Museums, to the National Museum of Iran in September.
U.S. President Barack Obama has promised to exercise his veto if the U.S. Congress, dominated by Republicans opposed to the deal, rejects the agreement, which would start the process of lifting a raft of sanctions which have hurt Iran’s economy.
The British foreign secretary said the first Western sanctions against Iran could be lifted early next year.
There were also reports of an attack on a second British diplomatic compound. Tehran has always denied seeking nuclear arms.
Deep mistrust remains on both sides.
Following the 2011 storming, which was a protest against nuclear-related sanctions imposed by London, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called it an “evil embassy”.
Britain has been cast for decades by opponents inside Iran as a perfidious “Old Fox” or “Little Satan” who does the bidding of “Big Satan”, the United States.
In 2007, Iranian media even claimed to have discovered a secret tunnel running from the embassy under a carpet shop which was used to smuggle “spies and prostitutes”.
A senior Iranian official on Tuesday said Israel “should be annihilated”, and that the thawing relations with the West would not translate into a shift in Tehran’s position concerning the Jewish state.
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Hammond said the two countries also expected to reach an agreement in the upcoming months on upgrading the embassies to full ambassador status from the level of charges d’affaires. The ensuing U.S. hostage crisis lasted 444 days and Washington and Tehran have yet to restore diplomatic ties.
