Iran, Britain resume diplomatic ties

[ResurgentIran]

London (AFP) - Britain and Iran on Thursday officially resumed diplomatic relations which were severed by London after students stormed its Tehran embassy in November 2011.

"The UK has agreed with Iran that from today bilateral relations will be conducted directly through non-resident charge d'affaires and officials," a Foreign Office spokesman told AFP.

Britain had ordered the closure of Iran's embassy in London after shuttering its own in Tehran when hundreds of Islamist students stormed the compound.

The students -- protesting against Western sanctions over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme -- ransacked the building as well as the ambassador's residence in north Tehran.

Since then, the Swedish embassy in Tehran has represented Britain's interests there, while the Omani embassy in London has done the same for Iran.

The Foreign Office spokesman said: "We will no longer have formal protecting power arrangements in place. This is the next stage of the step-by-step process of taking forward our bilateral relationship with Iran."

As regards reopening Britain's embassy in Tehran, he said no decision had been taken.

"We have made it clear that the issue of compensation (for the damage caused) needs to be addressed," the spokesman said.

A pristine Iranian flag was flying Thursday outside its embassy in the plush Prince's Gate terrace overlooking London's Hyde Park, for the first time in more than two years.

The London embassy was officially open again for the first time since 2011 but is not yet operational as no diplomats have been allocated yet.

The six-storey terrace was the scene of the 1980 Iranian embassy siege, when six gunmen stormed the building, taking hostages. It ended five days later with a British special forces raid.

Around 400,000 Iranians live in Britain.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told ISNA news agency that relations had been resumed at the non-resident charges d'affaires level and the British flag was flying at the embassy in Tehran.

In November, the two countries had already named those non-residents, and Britain's new envoy, Ajay Sharma, visited Iran in December.

There has been a thaw in ties between the Islamic republic and the international community since the June election of President Hassan Rouhani, a reputed moderate who has reached out to the West and steered his country into a landmark nuclear deal with major powers.

Iran, Britain resume diplomatic ties - Yahoo News

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Interesting move but a positive sign in the making...

 

[ResurgentIran]

Interesting move but a positive sign in the making...

UK is not a big player anymore. But traditionally they dont do things unless they get the ok from and are aligned with US.
The UK is often labelled "America's poodle".
These things move very slowly, but I do think its a sign of long term trend.

 

[Azizam]

Won't this increase the power of hardliners by creating revenues for them? I heard that as they normalize relations with the international community, they tighten their control over local population even more.


Insight - Iran President's nuclear agenda inhibits social reforms| Reuters

 

[Hyperion]

Britain is irrelevant..... "diplomatic ties" mean squat.... don't you remember the positive gestures made by the UK towards Qaddafi's Libya? Immediately after which they stabbed him with the biggest dagger they could find!

Interesting move but a positive sign in the making...

 

[ResurgentIran]

Won't this increase the power of hardliners by creating revenues for them? I heard that as they normalize relations with the international community, they tighten their control over local population even more.

I think opposite will happen. The more Iran is exposed to the world and have more open relations, the more the hardliners will loose their platform and their legitimacy will erode. imo
Although like I said, these things take a lot of time.

 

[Azizam]

I think opposite will happen. The more Iran is exposed to the world and have more open relations, the more the hardliners will loose their platform and their legitimacy will erode. imo
Although like I said, these things take a lot of time.

I hope that happens but I don't think the supreme leader will dig his own grave. I know very well that both options are double-edged swords. In terms of exposure, there's a good chance only the government will be exposed to the world while the general population will be controlled by an iron hand that might get worse in time.

 

[Shah9]

Interesting move but a positive sign in the making...

U jelly brah?

The world is turning to be friends with on Iran day by day signs of removing sanctions so this is the beginning, while Saudi is begging them to stop the nuclear plans when the West don't give a flying **** what Saudis say.

Now go buy some nuclear weapons from Pakistan and China while we "produce" our own and "manufacture" our own. Lazy bummers

 

[Shaldag]

Don't agree with this.

The perennially deceptive Iranians who cannot seem to go a day without telling lies to the world, cannot be trusted nor have they apologised sufficiently about ransacking the British embassy.

The Iranian regime are professional liars and have used deception for 35 years as a central part of their policy.

Incidentally, Iran has executed nearly 100 people so far this year. Nearly 100 people in 7 weeks. Terrorist state.

 

[Superboy]

Britain wants to sell Typhoon fighter jets and Iran has oil money. Win win.

 

[888jamie888]

Disagree with pretty much everything Iran does, but this does seem to be a positive step.

 

[Ahriman]

Don't agree with this.

The perennially deceptive Iranians who cannot seem to go a day without telling lies to the world, cannot be trusted nor have they apologised sufficiently about ransacking the British embassy.

The Iranian regime are professional liars and have used deception for 35 years as a central part of their policy.

Incidentally, Iran has executed nearly 100 people so far this year. Nearly 100 people in 7 weeks. Terrorist state.

 

[Serpentine]

The perennially deceptive Iranians who cannot seem to go a day without telling lies to the world

-Iran is making a nuclear weapon
-We are making peace with Palestinians
-We will stop settlements and we are not stealing any more lands from Palestinians
-We will attack Iran's nuclear program
-Mavi Marmara passengers were terrorists

Makes people wonder who the bigger liar is, Israel or Iran.

 

[Karasonmuno]

-Iran is making a nuclear weapon
-We are making peace with Palestinians
-We will stop settlements and we are not stealing any more lands from Palestinians
-We will attack Iran's nuclear program
-Mavi Marmara passengers were terrorists

Makes people wonder who the bigger liar is, Israel or Iran.

Iran has been taken advantage of for far too long by outside powers. It should not let anyone tell it what to do.

Don't agree with this.

The perennially deceptive Iranians who cannot seem to go a day without telling lies to the world, cannot be trusted nor have they apologised sufficiently about ransacking the British embassy.

The Iranian regime are professional liars and have used deception for 35 years as a central part of their policy.

Incidentally, Iran has executed nearly 100 people so far this year. Nearly 100 people in 7 weeks. Terrorist state.

Terrorism? Israel's very existence has destabilized the Middle East ever since its inception...and I mean that in blunt honesty.

 

[ای ایران]

Around 400,000 Iranians live in Britain.

LOL

Who's '***' did AFP pull this figure out from?

These news wires these days...

The number of Iranians in the UK is about 10x times less than that figure. Maybe 45,000 to 55,000. The highest estimate was 75,000, but that seems pretty high.

There are no accurate census figures for Iranians and those of Iranian descent in the UK.

But 400,000 is a gross exaggeration and would make Iranians one of the single largest ethnic minority groups living in Britain, when in fact, the Iranian population is overall very small.

Whatever dumbass wrote this piece for the AFP should be sacked.