The reestablishment of Iranian-British relations requires the approval of senior officials of the Islamic Republic, Iranian Parliament reports.
The head of Iran’s parliamentary group for friendship between Iran and Britain says the reestablishment of relations between the two countries must be decided upon by the National Security Council, the Foreign Ministry and senior officials of the country.
Hossein Nejabat told ISNA that a British parliamentary official has requested the reestablishment of relations between Iran and the UK, but the decision is not in the hands of the Parliament.
Last December, during a demonstration in front of the British Embassy in Tehran to protest British sanctions against Iran, some demonstrators forced their way into the embassy. Britain retaliated by withdrawing all its diplomats from Iran and closing down its embassy. It also expelled Iranian diplomats in London and closed down the Iranian embassy there.
The attack came just after the Iranian Parliament approved a motion to expel the British ambassador, and relations between the two countries were about to be reduced to the charge d’affaires level.
The Ahmadinejad administration was not in favour of Parliament’s move to downgrade relations with Britain.
The attack on the British embassy was condemned by Britain’s international allies. Iran’s Foreign Ministry also expressed regret over the attack and urged an immediate investigation into the matter.
