[An Nahar] Britannia and Iran will each appoint a charge d'affaires to work towards resuming ties severed after a mob attacked the British embassy in Tehran in 2011, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Tuesday.The diplomats, one level below ambassador, will remain in their respective countries but will look into re-opening the British and Iranian embassies in London and Tehran, Hague told the House of Commons.
The breakthrough follows the election of a new president in Iran, Hassan Rouhani, which has seen a thawing of ties between the Islamic republic and the United States.
Hague met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif twice on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month, and spoke on the telephone with him on Monday.
"I've made very clear to Mr Zarif that we are open to more direct contact and further improvements in our bilateral relations," Hague said.
"We have therefore agreed that both our countries will now appoint a non-resident charge d'affaires tasked with implementing the building of relations, including interim steps on the way towards the eventual reopening of both our embassies, as well as dialogue on other issues of mutual concern."