Afkham said that the decision has been made after meetings between Iranian and British foreign ministers on the sidelines of the 68th Annual UN General Assembly meeting in New York in late September and their subsequent meetings in Geneva.
“As of today (November 11) the Iranian Foreign Ministry introduces to the British side Habibollahzadeh as our country’s non-resident charge d’affaires,” Afkham said.
She reiterated that Habibollahzadeh will travel to UK in the near future to investigate the conditions of Iran’s assets and places in Britain and optimize the current activities of the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in London.
Last month, Iran and Britain agreed to announce the names of their non-resident charges d’affaires.
In a meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York City on September 23, Zarif and his British counterpart William Hague discussed improvement of Tehran-London relations, Iran’s nuclear energy program as well as regional developments.
On November 27, 2011, Iranian lawmakers voted by a large majority to downgrade diplomatic ties with the United Kingdom, in response to Britain's decision to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran over the allegation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Two days after the decision by the Iranian parliament, hundreds of Iranian students staged a protest outside the British Embassy in Tehran and pulled down the UK flag.
On November 30, 2011, London cut off its ties with Tehran, withdrew its diplomatic staff from Iran and the Iranian Embassy in London was closed.
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Publish Date: 12 November 2013 - 00:45
Tehran, Nov 12, IRNA -- Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham announced that Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh has been appointed as Iran’s non-resident charge d’affaires in London.