Baku, Azerbaijan, June 18
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Euro-American Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi stressed there were no plans yet to upgrade ties with the UK to an ambassadorial level.
"As to when we will decide to change the non-resident charge d'affaires to a resident charge d'affaires and then to an ambassador level, depends on the decisions of the both sides," Ravanchi told media in Vienna on June 17, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.
Earlier, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that "circumstances are right" for the reopening of Britain's embassy in Iran.
Addressing the British parliament in a written statement on June 17, Hague expressed his satisfaction that British embassy staff would be safe in the Iranian capital of Tehran and that diplomats would be allowed to work without hindrance.
However, Ravanchi stressed that at this point of time, relations between Tehran and London would be only on a non-resident charge d'affaires level.
He went on to reiterate that exchanging ambassadors between the two countries was not on the agenda for now.
The Iranian diplomat said that despite the Iranian embassy in London had already reopened, the British diplomatic mission in Tehran needed more time to resume its diplomatic services.
Ravanchi also said that Sweden was no longer representing the interests of England in Iran.