Iran’s Rouhani receives Britain’s Hammond

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has received British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in the capital, Tehran.

During their meeting on Monday, Rouhani and Hammond discussed ways to improve relations between the two countries.

Following his talks with Rouhani, Hammond held a meeting with Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). He is also set to sit down with Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani later in the day.

The British foreign secretary arrived in the Iranian capital on Sunday to formally reopen the UK embassy in Tehran.

The Iranian and British embassies resumed work in London and Tehran on Sunday four years after the two countries severed diplomatic ties.

The top British diplomat also held a meeting with Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday. Hammond and Zarif also attended a joint press conference.

Hammond’s trip is the first visit to Iran by a British foreign secretary since 2003.

The British foreign secretary’s visit comes soon after visits from French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, and EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, after Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries reached a nuclear agreement in mid-July.

Iran and the six countries – the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany – finalized the text of the nuclear agreement called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna, Austria, on July 14.

Under the JCPOA, limits will be put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all economic and financial bans, against the Islamic Republic.