British Plan to Reopen Iranian Embassy Amid Iraq Chaos
by JNS.org
JNS.org – British Foreign Secretary William Hague announced on Tuesday that the British government will reopen its embassy in Iran as the instability in Iraq has forced the British to reassess its ties with the Islamic Republic.
“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,” Hague said, the BBC reported.
The British closed their embassy in Tehran in 2011 after protesters upset over Western-imposed sanctions on Iran stormed the embassy.
British and American officials have discussed cooperating with Iran as Sunni Islamic jihadists threaten Iraq’s Shi’a-led government.
However, Israeli leaders have voiced serious concern over possible cooperation.
“And we would especially not want for a situation to be created where, because both the United States and Iran support the government of (Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri) al-Maliki, it softens the American positions on the issue which is most critical for the peace of the world, which is the Iranian nuclear issue,” Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said, Reuters reported.