Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has been invited to pay a visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, a top Iranian lawmaker says.
The trip comes at the invitation of the Iran-Britain Parliamentary Friendship Group, said Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran’s Majlis Alaeddin Boroujerdi in an interview with ICANA on Friday.

He added that Straw will travel to Tehran in the near future to hold talks with officials and deputies of Iran’s Majlis.

Head of the Iran-Britain Parliamentary Friendship Group Abbas Ali Mansouri Arani extended the invitation to Straw, Boroujerdi said, adding that the former British foreign secretary has welcomed the invitation.

The top parliamentarian further pointed to a visit to Tehran by Britain’s new non-resident charge d'affaires to Iran Ajay Sharma and said Sharma is on a mission to hold consultations with Iranian officials and reopen Britain’s mission to Iran if the ground is prepared.

The new British envoy arrived in Tehran on Tuesday, becoming the first British diplomat to travel to the country since ties were severed in 2011.

"I had a good first visit back to Tehran today and want to thank the Iranian authorities, particularly my counterpart Mr. [Mohammad Hassan] Habibollahzadeh, for facilitating the trip," Sharma said in a statement issued by the UK Foreign Office.

"I held detailed and constructive discussions with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs about taking forward our bilateral relationship on a step-by-step and reciprocal basis," he added.

Iran and Britain agreed earlier in October to appoint non-resident chargés d’affaires as a first step toward reopening their respective embassies.

The development followed a September meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and British Foreign Secretary William Hague in New York, during which they discussed ways to improve Tehran-London ties based on mutual respect.

On November 13, Britain declared the decision to revive diplomatic ties with Iran by appointing a non-resident charge d'affaires.

On November 19, British Prime Minister David Cameron also held a phone conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in the first such call between a UK premier and an Iranian president in more than a decade, and discussed, among other issues, the resumption of bilateral relations with the Iranian chief executive.

On November 27, 2011, Iranian lawmakers voted by a large majority to downgrade diplomatic ties with the United Kingdom in response to Britain's decision to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran over the allegation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Two days after the decision by Iran’s Majlis, hundreds of Iranian students staged a protest outside the British Embassy in Tehran and pulled down the UK flag.

On November 30 of the same year, London cut off its ties with Tehran, withdrew its diplomatic staff from Iran and the Iranian Embassy in London was closed.

By Press TV

 

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