Tehran is safe for Swiss diplomats, Swiss Ambassador to Tehran Livia Leu Agosti said on Monday, IRNA reported.
She made the remarks in an interview with Blake Weekly, published in Switzerland.
"Iran has no hostility toward Switzerland and we would stay in Tehran," Agosti added.
Swiss ambassador to Tehran also noted that UK has not cut relations with Tehran and does not need any interest section in Iran.
"UK nationals can refer their consular affairs to EU embassies in Tehran but the issuance of visa has been stopped at the moment", she added, answering a question about the possibility of using Swiss embassy to Tehran as the UK interests section .
In the absence of diplomatic or consular relations of the United States of America with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Swiss government, acting through its Embassy in Tehran, serves as the Protecting Power of the USA in Iran since May 21st, 1980. The Swiss Embassy's Foreign Interests Section provides consular services to US citizens living in or traveling to Iran.
Switzerland has had a consulate in Tehran since 1919 which was raised to the status of embassy in 1936.
Beginning in 1984, victims of the Iran-Iraq War received medical treatment in Switzerland.
There are agreements between the two countries on air traffic (1954, 1972 and 2004), road and rail transport (1977), export risk guarantees (1966), protection of investments (1998) and double taxation (2002). Iran is one of Switzerland's most important trading partners in the Middle East. The main goods exported by the Switzerland are pharmaceutical products, machinery and agricultural products.
In the year 2007, Iran and Switzerland signed a major 25-year gas contract to export over 5 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the Persian Gulf reportedly valued at 18 billion euros.
In June 2009, Switzerland held diplomatic talks in Geneva with officials from the Iran-backed Palestinian organization, Hamas. Despite the fact that this meeting caused outrage in Tel-Aviv and the United States, Swiss officials affirmed that as a recognized neutral country, Switzerland routinely acts as a "bridge" between warring parties.
Switzerland is a country with few energy resources of its own and has proposed that Europe should diversify its energy imports away from Russia and toward other exporters like Iran.
In 2009, the Swiss-based companies Glencore International AG and Trafigura Group were listed by the US Congress among the companies doing business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and as the biggest refined petroleum suppliers for Iran.