Britain reopened its embassy in Tehran yesterday as a human rights group warned that the UK should not allow commercial interests to silence criticism of the Iranian regime’s record.
Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, became only the third British minister to visit Tehran since the Iranian revolution of 1979. He was accompanied by a delegation of British business leaders and said that there was “huge interest” in opening up opportunities.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned that Britain had a recent track record of prioritising business over ethics. “We don’t oppose embassies being opened,” said Nadim Houry, the deputy director of HRW in the Middle East, “but the relationship should not be about commercial interests alone. It should also be about values.”
He cited relations with Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia as examples of Britain muting its criticism to secure arms deals and other commerce. Amnesty International said that the thawing of relations should be used to urge Iran to address its “dire” record on capital punishment.
The reopening of the embassy building comes four years after a mob ransacked it in a protest over Western sanctions. The protest appeared to have government acquiescence. Iranian hardliners still refer to Britain disparagingly as the “Old Fox”.
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Graffiti from the 2011 rampage remained yesterday, including the words “Death to England” scrawled above a portrait of the Queen.
Mr Hammond pointed to shared interests over trade, terrorism and the growth of Islamic State. “Our relationship has improved since 2011,” he said. “President Rouhani’s election and last month’s nuclear agreement were important milestones. I believe that we have the potential to go much further.”
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, welcomed the reopening, claiming that it proved his country’s regional and global significance. Iran reopened its own embassy in Kensington in London yesterday in a mutual display of the thaw in relations.