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Iranian embassy reopens in London

Xinhua, August 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Iran's embassy in Britain reopened on Sunday following the reopening of the British embassy in Tehran on the same day, the British Foreign Office said.

Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw attended the reopening of the Iranian embassy in South Kensington, London, according to BBC reports.

"It's a very important day for relations between Iran and the United Kingdom. Relations have always been quite difficult, and they reached a further nadir in 2011, but this is really good news," Straw was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the British embassy in Iran was also reopened on Sunday after four years of closure as Iranian protesters stormed the embassy during a demonstration over Britain's nuclear-related sanctions against the country in 2011.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond attended the reopening ceremony in Tehran. He is the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Iran since 2003.

"I am delighted to be here today. I am the first British Foreign Secretary to visit Tehran since Jack Straw in 2003, and only the third British Minister to visit since 1979. It's a huge pleasure and privilege to be here," he said at the reopening ceremony in Tehran. Endit