Philip Hammond will be the first foreign secretary to visit Tehran in 14 years when it officially reopens the embassy at the weekend, the Guardian has reported.
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The move is another step in the warming of relations with Tehran after a landmark nuclear deal was reached between Iran and six major world powers including Britain last month.
Hammond’s Tehran trip comes on the heels of visits from his French and Italian counterparts, as well as the EU’s foreign policy chief.
The British Embassy in Tehran, the Iranian capital, was closed after it was targeted by students and the Basij militia, a volunteer paramilitary organization, angry over continued worldwide sanctions on their country.
The restoration of full diplomatic relations was expected two years ago after Iran and Britain both named non-resident charges d’affaires, but a number of stumbling blocks held up the process.
Hammond will be accompanied on his visit by a handful of British business leaders as well as the foreign office political director, Sir Simon Gass, who represented British in the marathon talks leading up to the July nuclear agreement. British officials wanted to restore the technology before re-opening the embassy, but found themselves constrained by Iranian regulations on diplomatic deliveries.
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The two countries began a step-by-step diplomatic rapprochement after the election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2013, and the Iranian Embassy in London reopened early the next year. At the time Iranian MPs chanted “Death to Britain” as they passed that bill, the report added.
