Iran, UK leaders agree on need to promote relations

TEHRAN, Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond stressed on Monday the need to develop political relations and cooperation, according to a statement posted on the Iranian presidency website.

The meeting in the Iranian capital of Tehran followed the reopening of the British embassy in the country on Sunday almost four years later. The Iranian embassy was also simultaneously reopened in London. 

The U.K. embassy was shut down in 2011 when a group of protesters raided and looted the building and ambassador’s residence during a rally against nuclear program-related sanctions on Iran. Iranian diplomats in the U.K. were also declared personae non gratae.

The decision of mutually reopening diplomatic missions from the two countries came following the recently reached deal between Iran and the world powers’ group on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Rouhani said that in the current circumstances, both countries’ officials had a greater responsibility to rebuild bilateral relations based on mutual trust.

“Iran and Britain must think about mutual interests of both nations as well as the region and expand their trade relations into bilateral and fruitful economic ties based on the available resources in both countries,” the Iranian president said, adding that Tehran and London could also promote the level of scientific and academic relations among other cultural projects.

“There are various projects in the fields of energy, roads, air fleet refurbishment, environment and mines in which Iran and Britain can participate,” Rouhani said.

Reiterating that Iran would fulfill its commitments based on the July 14 nuclear deal signed in Vienna, Rouhani stressed that Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons and its nuclear facilities were monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"The other side of negotiations will see in the future that Iran has chosen a right path instead of confrontation,” he said.

Rouhani also said that Iran and Britain could hold consultations on a number of "highly significant issues in the region" including in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen, with a view to finding political solutions for them.

Philip Hammond, for his part, noted the steady improvement in U.K.-Iran relations, saying the recent nuclear deal would "allow more forward steps to deepen the relations”, and could also rebuild the cultural and historical relations between the Iranian and British people.

“The reopening of embassies in Tehran and London was an important symbolic step that has led to effective and trust-building dialogues between the two countries, providing an opportunity for a better understanding of each other’s positions,” he said.

Hammond also stressed the need to resolve the "deep distrust and difficult history" between the two countries, while assuring Britain would continue to fulfill its obligations under the nuclear deal.

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.

As the first U.K. foreign secretary to visit Iran since 2003, Hammond had met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday, following the opening ceremony.