Embassy of the United Kingdom in Tehran |
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Coordinates | 35°41′47.5″N 51°25′06.7″E / 35.696528°N 51.418528°ECoordinates: 35°41′47.5″N 51°25′06.7″E / 35.696528°N 51.418528°E |
Location | Tehran |
Address | 198 Ferdowsi Avenue, Tehran |
Website | Office website |
The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Tehran is the United Kingdom's diplomatic mission to the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is located at 198 Ferdowsi Avenue in Tehran .
Following the 2011 attack on the Embassy and the expulsion of the British ambassador by Iran, Britain reduced its diplomatic relations with Iran to "the lowest possible level" and closed its embassy. However, following the election of President Hassan Rouhani, relations have improved and both countries appointed non-resident charge d'affaires to conduct bilateral relations between London and Tehran. The current ambassador to Iran is Nicholas Hopton. The embassy reopened in August 2015.
The British Mission in Tehran was first established in 1821 in the Old Bazaar. By the 1860s, the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions forced the government to look for a more suitable location and the Ferdowsi site was purchased. To supervise the construction of the new Legation Buildings, James Wild, the architect, was commissioned. He was an established architect with experience of the Middle East. The building was finished in June 1876.
Most famous of all the historical events associated with the embassy is the great 'bast' (meaning sanctuary) of July/August 1906 when, during the constitutional struggle, some 12-16,000 Tehranis took sanctuary in the compound and by thus paralysing the life of the city, forced Muzaffar-ud-din Shah to issue his celebrated Farman of 5 August 1906 granting the people a constitution and National Assembly.