BBC Online :Foreign Secretary William Hague has said he intends to re-open Britain’s Embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran.Mr Hague said the “circumstances were right” following an improvement in bilateral relations in recent months.Full diplomatic relations with Iran were suspended after attacks on the British embassy in Iran in 2011.The election of a new Iranian president and agreement on how to deal with Iran’s nuclear programme has led to increased contacts in 2014.The move also comes as Iraqi forces are engaged in heavy clashes with Sunni Islamist militants in the country and amid reports that Iran is providing military assistance to its historic rival.In a written statement, Mr Hague said the UK embassy will re-open “as soon as practical arrangements are made” as a sign of “increasing confidence” in the state of relations between the two countries.”There has never been any doubt in my mind that we should have an embassy in Tehran if the circumstances allowed,” he said.”Iran is an important country in a volatile region, and maintaining embassies around the world, even under difficult conditions, is a central pillar of the UK’s global diplomatic approach.”The foreign secretary, who will give further details to MPs at 11:30 BST, said he had sought assurances that British diplomatic staff would be safe and would be able to carry out their work “without hindrance”.The shared interest in confronting militants led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has accelerated contacts between the West and Iran.BBC political editor Nick Robinson said William Hague spoke to Iran’s foreign minister over the weekend.He said the election of Hassan Rouhani as president last year, regarded as much more moderate than his predecessor, had been an important step towards improving relations between Iran and the West.Events in Iraq had given this gradual process of detente a “mighty great shove”, he added.Former senior diplomat Sir William Patey said it was potentially a “very significant moment” for dealings between the two countries.
