Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their principal aims in establishing closer diplomatic ties with Iran.

Baroness Warsi

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), announced on 17 June his decision to reopen the British Embassy in Tehran with a small initial presence, as soon as the practical arrangements can be made.

Iran is an important country in a volatile region, and maintaining embassies around the world, even under difficult circumstances, is a central pillar of the UK’s global diplomatic approach. We have no illusions that returning to Iran will be easy – there will continue to be many areas where we strongly disagree. Ultimately, having an Embassy in Tehran will enable us to better understand and respond to those challenges.