UK Lawmakers to Visit Iran

A delegation from the British Parliament will visit Iran in the near future, an Iranian lawmaker announced. Alireza Rahimi, the head of Iran-UK Parliamentary Friendship Group, also told Tasnim News Agency on Monday that arrangements for the trip are being discussed with the British side. "The visit is to take place within the next three weeks," he said.

In January 2014, a British parliamentary delegation, led by former foreign secretary, Jack Straw, visited Iran as part of efforts to improve Tehran-London relations. Ties between Iran and Britain soured in 2011.

In November 2011, a majority of Iranian lawmakers voted to downgrade diplomatic ties with Britain, following Britain's decision to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran. Later, angry Iranian students stormed the British Embassy in Tehran.

Following the incident, Britain withdrew its diplomatic staff from Tehran on November 30 and asked Iran's diplomats to leave London.

The two countries later made diplomatic efforts to restore ties.

In August 2015, the British Embassy in Iran reopened after a four-year closure. Simultaneously, Iran's Embassy in London also reopened.

The thaw in Tehran-London relations came after the conclusion of the July 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers.