Nearly four years after protesters stormed the UK Embassy in Iran, triggering a drastic breakdown in relations, Britain is restoring its diplomatic presence in Tehran.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is in the Iranian capital for the reopening of the embassy, in what is the first British ministerial visit to Iran in more than a decade.
Iran is also reopening its embassy in London on Sunday in a coordinated move that reflects improved ties between the two nations.
Hammond hailed the occasion as a “historic moment in UK-Iran relations” in a post on Twitter.
The move comes a few weeks after Iran struck a deal on its nuclear program with six world powers, although plans for the reopening were announced last summer.
The easing of tensions followed the election of Hassan Rouhani as president in 2013. His election launched a more positive tone in Iran’s interactions with the West.
Hammond will be joined for the opening ceremony by the new UK charge d’affaires, Ajay Sharma, and representatives of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and wider diplomatic community, the UK Foreign Office said.
In a statement, Hammond said the reopening of each country’s embassy was a key step to improved relations.
“In the first instance, we will want to ensure that the nuclear agreement is a success, including by encouraging trade and investment once sanctions are lifted,” he said.
The two countries should also be able to discuss shared challenges including terrorism, regional stability, the spread of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, drugs trafficking and migration, Hammond said.
“This move does not mean that we agree on everything. But it is right that Britain and Iran should have a presence in each other’s countries.”
The embassy in Tehran will operate with a small staff and offer a limited range of consular services at first, Hammond said. “Over the months ahead we expect to agree with the Iranians an upgrading of our respective mission leaders to full ambassador status and to be able to offer a full range of services.”
The assault by student protesters on the UK Embassy and a separate diplomatic compound in Tehran in November 2011 prompted outrage and led Britain to close the embassy’s doors and withdraw all its staff from Iran.
Britain also closed the Iranian Embassy in London and ordered all Iranian diplomats to leave.
The protest in Tehran was sparked by anger at UK sanctions imposed against Iranian institutions over the nation’s nuclear program. The embassy buildings should have been guarded by Iranian security officers.