British embassy in Tehran reopens four years after closure - PHOTO

Baku. 23 August REPORT.AZ/ The British embassy in Iran has reopened, nearly four years after it was closed.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond attended a ceremony in Tehran with Iranian diplomats to mark the reopening while Iran has also reopened its embassy in London.

Report informs referring the information given by the BBC, the UK embassy was closed in 2011 after it was stormed by protesters during a demonstration against sanctions.

Mr Hammond is the first UK foreign secretary to visit Iran since 2003.

The reopening comes weeks after Iran reached a deal with six world powers aimed at curbing its nuclear programme.

At the ceremony Mr Hammond said the attack in 2011 had been "a low point" but since the election of President Hassan Rouhani things had "steadily improved, step by step".

He said: "Last month's historic nuclear agreement was another milestone, and showed the power of diplomacy, conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect, to solve shared challenges.

"Re-opening the embassy is the logical next step. To build confidence and trust between two great nations.

"Iran is, and will remain, an important country in a strategically important but volatile region. Maintaining dialogue around the world, even under difficult conditions, is critical.

"We will not always agree. But as confidence and trust grows there should be no limit to what over time we can achieve together and no limit to our ability to discuss these issues together."