Embassy of the United Kingdom, Tehran
Embassy of the United Kingdom in Tehran | |
---|---|
Location | Tehran, Iran |
Address | 172 Ferdowsi Avenue, Tehran |
Coordinates | 35°41′47.5″N 51°25′06.7″E / 35.696528°N 51.418528°E |
Website | Office website |
The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Tehran is the United Kingdom's diplomatic mission to the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is located at 172 Ferdowsi Avenue in Tehran.
Following the
History
The British Mission in Tehran was first established in 1821 in the Old Bazaar. By the 1860s, the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions forced the government to look for a more suitable location and the Ferdowsi site was purchased. To supervise the construction of the new Legation Buildings, James Wild, the architect, was commissioned. He was an established architect with experience of the Middle East. The building was finished in June 1876.[4]
Persian Constitutional Revolution
Most famous of all the historical events associated with the embassy is the great '
Iranian Revolution
Following the
The Satanic Verses controversy
On 14 February 1989,
Mykonos restaurant assassinations
The UK and all other EU countries withdrew their heads of mission in April 1997 when a German court issued a verdict that members of the Iranian intelligence services were responsible for the murder of four Iranian Kurds in Germany in 1992. Heads of mission returned in November 1997 following the election of President Khatami, who showed determination to pursue the establishment of a civil society and the rule of law, and to promote wider international understanding. Britain and Iran jointly upgraded the relationship to ambassadorial status in 1999.[4]
2011 storming
On 29 November 2011, two compounds of the British embassy in Tehran were stormed by Iranian protesters. The protesters smashed windows, ransacked offices, set fire to government documents, and burned a British flag.[7]
The storming of the British embassy followed from the 2011 joint American-British-Canadian sanctions and the Iranian government's
Reestablishment of relations
In July 2013, it was announced that the UK would consider to open better relations with Iran "step-by-step" following the
Arrest of Ambassador
On 11 January 2020, the British Ambassador to Iran Robert Macaire was arrested in Iran before being released shortly after. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described the events as a "flagrant violation of international law".[16]
Gholhak Garden
The Qajar monarchy gave the land for Gholhak Garden to the United Kingdom in the 19th century during the height of the British Empire for their ambassador to use as a summer residence.[17]
Gholhak Garden is separate from the historic British embassy several miles south in central Tehran, where British ambassadors have now lived for decades. Today, several British diplomats and their families as well as some Iranian embassy staff reside in the Gholhak complex.[17][18]
The
Gholhak Garden and the British embassy in central Tehran have been subject to periodic anti-Western demonstrations orchestrated by the Iranian government since the defunct American embassy has no longer been the central target after being taken over in 1979 during the Iran hostage crisis.[17]
On 29 November 2011, Iranian protesters stormed the British embassy in downtown Tehran and Gholhak Garden. The incident came amid rising tensions over Iran's nuclear program. The protesters broke into Gholhak and briefly seized six British embassy staff before being released by the Iranian police. Britain expressed outrage at the riots and warned of "serious consequences."[19]
See also
- Gholhak Garden
- Tehran War Cemetery
- Iran–United Kingdom relations
- List of diplomatic missions in Iran
- List of Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Iran
References
- ^ "British embassy in Tehran reopens four years after closure". BBC. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ "Iran relations 'important' but Hammond urges caution". BBC. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Wintour, Patrick (12 August 2021). "UK ambassador angers Iran with 'insulting' embassy photo gaffe". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Embassy History". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Britain's embassy in Iran is reopening – but how long will it last this time?, The Guardian, 17 June 2014
- ^ Britain to reopen embassy in Iran on Bobby Sands Street, Belfast Telegraph, 20 August 2015
- ^ "Iran protesters storm UK embassy in Tehran". BBC. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ "Iranian protesters storm British diplomatic compounds". Reuters. 29 November 2011.
- ^ Borger, Julian (30 November 2011). "Britain expels Iranian diplomats and closes Tehran embassy". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Sweden to be 'protecting power' for UK in Iran". www.thelocal.se. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ "Oman 'looking after Iran interests in UK'". Trade Arabia. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Britain says open to better relations with Iran". Tehran Times. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ^ "UK for Iranians". Gov.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ "British Foreign Secretary Reopens Embassy in Tehran". Wall Street Journal. Associated Press. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "UK names first Iran ambassador since 2011". 5 September 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ "Arrest of Ambassador to Iran: Foreign Secretary statement". GOV.UK. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Michael Theodoulou (22 November 2011). "Iran fines British embassy for 'environmental vandalism' in Tehran compound". The National. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
- ^ Robert Tait (17 July 2007). "Iranian militants demand return of British diplomatic compound". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ Robin Pomeroy (29 November 2011). "Iranian protesters storm UK diplomatic compounds". Reuters. Retrieved 29 November 2011.