Chile has reopened its embassy in Iran after 36 years and has sent a charge d’affaires to Tehran prior to the visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the South American country next week. The reopening of the embassy occurred months ago without any media coverage. Zarif met his Chilean counterpart, Heraldo Munoz, last year in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. The two officials discussed the reopening of Chilean Embassy in Tehran and expanding ties between two countries in a range of areas, including agriculture, ISNA reported. During the meeting, Munoz emphasized the interest of his state to send a high-level delegation to Tehran as the first step toward boosting political ties with Iran. After preliminary negotiations, Chile opened its mission in Tehran in the ending months of last Iranian year (ended March 19, 2016). The Chilean charge d’affaires travelled to Tehran after a few months. After Augusto Pinochet toppled the government of Salvador Allende in a coup and took office in Chile in 1980, Iran’s then foreign minister asked Chile in a note to close down its embassy.
