Iran–United Kingdom relations are the bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Iran . Iran, which was called Persia by the West before 1935, has had political relations with England since the late Ilkhanate period (13th century) when King Edward I of England sent Geoffrey of Langley to the Ilkhanid court to seek an alliance.
117-517: Until the early nineteenth century, Iran was a remote and legendary country for Britain, so much so that the European country never seriously established a diplomatic center, such as a consulate or embassy . By the middle of the nineteenth century, Iran grew in importance as a buffer state to the United Kingdom's dominion over India . Britain fostered conflict between Iran and Afghanistan as
234-497: A chargé d'affaires (usually the deputy chief of mission ) who may have limited powers. A chargé d'affaires ad interim also heads the mission during the interim between the end of one chief of mission's term and the beginning of another. Contrary to popular belief, diplomatic missions sometimes do not enjoy full extraterritorial status and are generally not sovereign territory of the represented state. The sending state can give embassies sovereign status but this only happens with
351-417: A fatwa ordering Muslims across the world to kill British author Salman Rushdie . Diplomatic ties with London were broken off only to be resumed at a chargé d'affaires level in 1990. Relations normalized in 1997 during President Mohammad Khatami 's reformist administration, and Jack Straw became the first high-ranking British politician to visit Tehran in 2001 since the revolution. Relations suffered
468-627: A 2013 BBC World Service poll, only 5% of British people view Iran's influence positively, with 84% expressing a negative view. According to a 2012 Pew Global Attitudes Survey, 16% of British people viewed Iran favorably, compared to 68% which viewed it unfavorably; 91% of British people oppose Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons and 79% approve of "tougher sanctions" on Iran, while 51% of British people support use of military force to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. From July 2012 until October 2013, British interests in Iran were maintained by
585-590: A Persian candidate. In 1647, Khosrow Khan, the governor of the Shirvan province, complained to the governor of Astrakhan that Cossacks from Astrakhan and Tarki had committed a series of robberies. He threatened to confiscate the goods of Russian merchants in Shamakhi, the capital of the Shirvan province, and to pursue military action against the Cossacks. Russian authorities protested this action, and requested
702-603: A collision course with the British Government was the reality that pursuant to a 1914 Act of the British Parliament, an initiative championed by Winston Churchill in his capacity as First Lord of the Admiralty , led the British Government to be granted a majority fifty-three percent ownership of the shares of APOC. The decision was adopted during World War I to ensure the British Government would gain
819-551: A concession that was granted in 1901 by a previous non-constitutional government forced to agree to inequitable terms under duress. However, despite much progress, Rezā Shāh Pahlavi was soon to assert his authority by dramatically inserting himself into the negotiations. The Monarch attended a meeting of the Council of Ministers in November 1932, and after publicly rebuking Teymourtash for his failure to secure an agreement, dictated
936-455: A consul or consul-general, respectively. Similar services may also be provided at the embassy (to serve the region of the capital) in what is normally called a consular section. In cases of dispute, it is common for a country to recall its head of mission as a sign of its displeasure. This is less drastic than cutting diplomatic relations completely, and the mission will still continue operating more or less normally, but it will now be headed by
1053-753: A critical foothold in Iranian affairs so as to protect the flow of oil from Iran due to its critical importance to the operation of the Royal Navy during the war effort. By the 1920s APOC's extensive installations and pipelines in Khuzestan and its refinery in Abadan meant that the company's operations in Iran had led to the creation of the greatest industrial complex in the Middle East. The attempt to revise
1170-533: A diplomatic mission can reside within or outside the building that holds the mission's chancery, and their private residences enjoy the same rights as the premises of the mission as regards inviolability and protection. All missions to the United Nations are known simply as permanent missions , while EU member states ' missions to the European Union are known as permanent representations , and
1287-566: A few garrisons remaining in the Shamkhalate of Tarki, Baku and Derbent. The Georgian and Armenian troops were left to subdue the rebels. On 23 October 1722, Shah Husayn surrendered Isfahan to the Afghans, and abdicated in favour of Mahmud Hotak. Peter offered to aid Tahmasp in gaining back his throne from Mahmud. On 3 November 1722, 14 ships sailed from Astrakhan to Anzali, a port near Resht. Russian forces entered Resht under
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#17327828232371404-725: A flotilla intended to wrest the islands and port city of the Astarabad province from Agha Mohammed Khan and the Persians. However, Agha Mohammed Khan arrested and deported all parties involved in the expedition. In 1783, Erekle II of Khartli-Kakheti agreed to become a vassal state of the Russian Empire in return for Russian protection. This was formalised in the Treaty of Georgievsk on 24 July 1783. Persia still considered Khartli-Kakheti to be its vassal state. Following
1521-634: A group of 26 English envoys in Qazvin . The English delegation, also well aware of the Ottoman threat, were more than glad to have Persia as an ally against the Ottoman threat. Shah Abbas warmly received the delegation and took them as his guests with him to Isfahan , his new capital. Soon, the Shirley brothers were appointed by the Shah to organize and modernize the royal cavalry and train the army (most notably
1638-621: A harsh criticism of Britain and Imperial Russia . Of the public outcry against the inability of the Persian throne to maintain its political and economic independence from Great Britain and Imperial Russia in the face of events such as the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 and "the 1919 treaty", one result was the Persian Constitutional Revolution , which eventually resulted in the fall of
1755-537: A host of other cities in southern Persia were occupied by Great Britain , and the central government in Tehran was left with no power to even select its own ministers without the approval of the Anglo-Russian consulates. Morgan Shuster , for example, had to resign under tremendous British and Russian pressure on the royal court. Shuster's book The Strangling of Persia is a recount of the details of these events,
1872-558: A letter to cabinet canceling the D'Arcy Agreement. The Iranian Government notified APOC that it would cease further negotiations and demanded cancellation of the D'Arcy concession. Rejecting the cancellation, the British government espoused the claim on behalf of APOC and brought the dispute before the Permanent Court of International Justice at The Hague , asserting that it regarded itself "as entitled to take all such measures as
1989-433: A lower-ranking official (an envoy or minister resident ) was known as a legation . Since the ranks of envoy and minister resident are effectively obsolete, the designation of legation is no longer among the diplomatic ranks used in diplomacy and international relations. A consulate is similar to, but not the same as a diplomatic office, but with focus on dealing with individual persons and businesses, as defined by
2106-489: A means of forestalling an Afghan invasion of India. UK seeds a number of proximity conflicts between Iran and its neighbouring states like Azerbaijan on the countries' borders, Afghanistan on the Hirmand river and United Arab Emirates on possession of three disputed islands. In the year 1553, King Edward VI of England hired the wealthy merchant and explorer, Sebastian Cabot to develop a semi-profitable trading company. He
2223-549: A minority of countries. Rather, the premises of an embassy remain under the jurisdiction of the host state while being afforded special privileges (such as immunity from most local laws) by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations . Diplomats themselves still retain full diplomatic immunity , and (as an adherent to the Vienna Convention) the authorities of the host country may not enter the premises of
2340-446: A nonresident permanent mission to one or more other countries. The term embassy is sometimes used interchangeably with chancery , the physical office or site of a diplomatic mission. Consequently, the terms "embassy residence" and "embassy office" are used to distinguish between the ambassador's residence and the chancery. A country may have several different types of diplomatic missions in another country. The head of an embassy
2457-613: A number of fronts from the United States, the Revolutionary Guard Corps could have been responding to any one of a number of perceived threats. On 3 April 2007, Prime Minister Tony Blair advised that "the next 48 hours will be critical" in defusing the crisis. At approximately 1:20 PM GMT, Iran's president announced that the 8 sailors would be 'pardoned'. The following day, he announced all 15 British personnel would be released immediately "in celebration of
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#17327828232372574-403: A secretary to keep his papers in order”, according to one scholar. Resolution of all outstanding differences eluded a speedy resolution, however, given the reality that on the British side progress proved tedious due to the need to consult many government departments with differing interests and jurisdictions. The most intractable challenge, however, proved to be Iran's assiduous efforts to revise
2691-604: A separate mission to the UN agencies , led by its own ambassador , but is located in the compound that houses its embassies to Italy and the Holy See. Several cities host both embassies/consulates and permanent representatives to international organizations, such as New York City ( United Nations ), Washington, D.C. ( Organization of American States ), Jakarta ( ASEAN ) and Brussels ( European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization ). In some cases, an embassy or consulate
2808-588: A setback in 2002 when David Reddaway was rejected by Tehran as London's ambassador, on charges of being a spy, and further deteriorated two years later when Iran seized eight British sailors in Arvand River near the border with Iraq. The sailors were pardoned and attended a goodbye ceremony with President Ahmadinejad shortly after they were released. In February 2004, following the earthquake in Bam , Prince Charles and then President Mohammad Khatami visited
2925-438: Is also followed multilaterally by the member states of the European Union (EU). European citizens in need of consular help in a country without diplomatic or consular representation of their own country may turn to any consular or diplomatic mission of another EU member state (art. 23 TFEU ). Some cities may host more than one mission from the same country. In Rome , many states maintain separate missions to both Italy and
3042-590: Is divided between multiple locations in the same city. For example, the Bangladeshi Deputy High Commission in Kolkata , has two locations: one at Park Circus and another, opened later, at Mirza Ghalib Street, to reduce overcrowding. Governments of states not recognized by the receiving state and of territories that make no claim to be sovereign states may set up offices abroad that do not have official diplomatic status as defined by
3159-579: Is generally expected that an embassy of a Commonwealth country in a non-Commonwealth country will do its best to provide diplomatic services to citizens from other Commonwealth countries if the citizen's country does not have an embassy in that country. Canadian and Australian nationals enjoy even greater cooperation between their respective consular services, as outlined in the Canada-Australia Consular Services Sharing Agreement . The same kind of procedure
3276-408: Is known as an ambassador or high commissioner . The term embassy is commonly used also as a section of a building in which the work of the diplomatic mission is carried out, but strictly speaking, it is the diplomatic delegation itself that is the embassy, while the office space and the diplomatic work done is called the chancery . Therefore, the embassy operates in the chancery. The members of
3393-530: Is that an attack is now all but inevitable. There will be no invasion of Iran but the nuclear sites will be destroyed." The BBC reported a denial that the meeting would take place, but no denial of the alleged themes of the meeting, by the UK Ministry of Defence, and that "there is well sourced and persistent speculation that American covert activities aimed at Iran are already underway". On 21 June 2004, eight sailors and Royal Marines were seized by forces of
3510-475: Is to see how far they can push us in the way of concessions, and I feel we shall never re-establish our waning prestige or even be able to treat the Persian government on equal terms, until we are in a position to call a halt". Despite the enormous volume of correspondence and protracted negotiations that took place between the two countries on the widest array of issues, on the Iranian side, Teymourtash conducted these negotiations single-handedly “without so much as
3627-422: Is usually, but not necessarily, based in the receiving state's capital city. Consulates , on the other hand, are smaller diplomatic missions that are normally located in major cities of the receiving state (but can be located in the capital, typically when the sending country has no embassy in the receiving state). As well as being a diplomatic mission to the country in which it is situated, an embassy may also be
Iran–United Kingdom relations - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-695: The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran during World War II . The new Shah, Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , signed a Tripartite Treaty Alliance with Britain and the Soviet Union in January 1942, to aid in the allied war effort in a non-military way. In 1951, the Iranians nationalized the oil through a parliamentary bill on 21 March 1951. This caused a lot of tension between Iran and the UK. According to
3861-457: The Battle of Gulnabad on 8 March 1722, Mahmud Hotak and his army besieged Isfahan. Mirza Tahmasp , the son of Shah Husayn , escaped Isfahan with 600 men and fled to Qazvin . From Qazvin, Tahmasp then was forced to flee to Resht , followed by Afghan forces. The governor of Resht contacted Tsar Peter requesting aid, as did Tahmasp, who sent an envoy, Ismail Beg, to Astrakhan. Tsar Peter and
3978-684: The Caucasus . The main territories disputed were Aran (modern day Republic of Azerbaijan ), Georgia and Armenia , as well as much of Dagestan – generally referred to as Transcaucasia – and considered part of the Safavid Iran prior to the Russo-Persian Wars. Over the course of the five Russo-Persian Wars, the governance of these regions transferred between the two empires. Between the Second and Third Russo-Persian Wars , there
4095-652: The Holy See . It is not customary for these missions to share premises nor personnel. At present, only the Iraqi and United States embassies to Italy and the Holy See share premises; however, separate ambassadors are appointed, one to each country. In the case of the UN's Food Agencies , the sending country's ambassador to the Italian Republic is usually accredited as permanent representative . The United States maintains
4212-689: The Iranian Embassy in London was restored and the two countries agreed to restart diplomatic relations. On August 23, 2015, the British Embassy in Tehran officially reopened. The first Persian Ambassador to the United Kingdom was Mirza Albohassan Khan Ilchi Kabir. The Herald Tribune on 22 January 2006 reported a rise in British exports to Iran from £296 million in 2000 to £443.8 million in 2004. A spokesperson for UK Trade and Investment
4329-526: The Iran–Iraq War , Saddam Hussein acquired metal tubes from firms in the United Kingdom, intended for the Project Babylon supergun. All were intercepted by customs and excise and none ever reached Iraq. The suppliers were under the impression that their tubes would have been used in a pipeline project. A year after the re-establishment of the British embassy in Tehran, Ayatollah Khomeini issued
4446-484: The Pashtun Afghans , led by Mirwais Hotak and subsequently Mahmud Hotak , began a campaign against the Persians over the ruling of Qandahar . The Afghans, with an army of 25,000 men, invaded Persia and attempted to seize Kerman . They were unable to hold the city and were similarly unable to capture the nearby city of Yazd. Mahmud subsequently moved to camp outside the city of Gulnabad , ten miles from
4563-697: The Qajarid dynasty, which was quickly absorbed into domestic turmoil and rivalry, while competing colonial powers rapidly sought a stable foothold in the region. While the Portuguese, British, and Dutch, competed for the south and southeast of Persia in the Persian Gulf , Imperial Russia was largely left unchallenged in the north as it plunged southward to establish dominance in Persia's northern territories. Plagued with internal politics and incompetence,
4680-755: The Sir Gore Ouseley with the aid of the British Foreign Office in London . Sir Gore Ouseley was the younger brother of the British orientalist William Ouseley , who served as secretary to the British ambassador in Persia. In fact, Iran's current southern and eastern boundaries were determined by none other than the British during the Anglo-Persian War (1856 to 1857). After repelling Nasereddin Shah 's attack in Herat in 1857,
4797-779: The Time of Troubles preceding the Romanov family ’s accession to the Russian throne in 1613 weakened Russia such that Persia turned its foreign policy focus to Western Europe for an anti-Ottoman coalition. Shah Abbas I kept contact with the Habsburgs of Austria in hope of an anti-Ottoman alliance in Hungary . In the late sixteenth century Russia began a campaign against the Shamkhalate of Tarki , which ruled northern Dagestan and
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4914-598: The Treaty of Nasuh Pasha with the Ottoman Empire to end the Ottoman-Persian wars. This treaty stipulated Persian neutrality on Russian-Ottoman relations. Trading in Shamakhi decreased sharply following the signature of this treaty, as the Safavid victory over Ottomans in 1618 negated the need for Russian assistance. In the 1630s there were renewed hostilities between Persia and the Ottoman Empire until
5031-657: The United Nations Charter in order to put pressure on Iran. Chapter VII describes the Security Council's power to authorize economic, diplomatic, and military sanctions, as well as the use of military force, to resolve disputes. The Sunday Telegraph reported that a secret, high-level meeting would take place on 3 April 2006 between the UK government and military chiefs regarding plans to attack Iran. The Telegraph cited "a senior Foreign Office source" saying that "The belief in some areas of Whitehall
5148-569: The United States – European Union pact on one side and Iran on the other over Iran's nuclear program also continues to develop, remaining a serious obstacle in the improvement of Tehran – London ties. A confidential letter by UK diplomat John Sawers to French, German and US diplomats, dated 16 March 2006, twice referred to the intention to have the United Nations Security Council refer to Chapter VII of
5265-470: The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations . A consulate or consulate general is generally a representative of the embassy in locales outside of the capital city. For instance, the Philippines has its embassy to the United States in the latter's capital, Washington, D.C., but also maintains seven consulates-general in major US cities. The person in charge of a consulate or consulate-general is known as
5382-573: The 70-year contract of Persian railways to be operated by British businessmen such as Baron de Reuter became increasingly visible. The visibility became particularly pronounced after the discovery of oil in Masjed Soleiman in 1909 and the establishment of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and the " D'Arcy Concession". By the end of the 19th century, Britain's dominance became so pronounced that Khuzestan , Bushehr , and
5499-718: The British Embassy in Beijing (1967), the hostage crisis at the American embassy in Tehran, Iran (1979–1981), and the hostage crisis at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima , Peru (1996–1997). The basic role of a diplomatic mission is to represent and safeguard the interests of the home country and its citizens in the host country. According to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations , which establishes
5616-468: The British Government and Anglo-Persian Oil Company ("APOC") were no longer permitted to enter into direct agreements with their client tribes, as had been the case in the past, did little to satisfy British expectations. The cumulative impact of these demands on the British Government was well expressed by Sir Robert Clive, Britain's Minister to Tehran, who in 1931 noted in a report to the Foreign Office "There are indications, indeed that their present policy
5733-412: The British elite closely involved with Persian politics. Allen Lindsay was even appointed as a general in Abbas Mirza 's army. A weakened and bankrupted royal court under Fath Ali Shah was forced to sign the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813, followed by the Treaty of Turkmenchay after efforts by Abbas Mirza failed to secure Persia's northern front against Imperial Russia . The treaties were prepared by
5850-449: The British government assigned Frederic John Goldsmid of the Indo-European Telegraph Department to determine the borders between Persia and India during the 1860s. In 1872, the Shah signed an agreement with Baron Julius de Reuter , which George Nathaniel Curzon called "The most complete and extraordinary surrender of the entire industrial resources of a kingdom into foreign hands that has ever been dreamed of". The Reuter Concession
5967-453: The British put Reza Shah "on the throne". After his establishing of power and strengthening of the central government, Rezā Khan quickly put an end to the autonomous activities of the British-backed Sheikh Khazal in the south. London withdrew its support of Khaz'al in favor of Rezā Shāh. A novel chapter in Anglo-Iranian relations had begun when Iran canceled its capitulation agreements with foreign powers in 1928. Iran's success in revoking
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#17327828232376084-580: The Caucasus. This request was refused, precipitating a declaration of war from Persia. The Russian troops proceeded to march to the Erivan province and besieged the capital, Erivan on 1 July. The siege of Erivan, however, failed as the Russian forces ran out of provisions. Subsequently, the Persians suffered defeats at Leninakan and Erivan, and they retreated to regroup. In 1805, the khanates of Shaki , Shirvan and Karabakh formally recognised Russian authority. Russian forces also attacked Baku, Resht, Quba and Talesh. In 1806, Russian forces defeated
6201-498: The Georgian kingdom of Imereti , an Ottoman vassal state, in addition to Mingrelia , Guria , and many of the khanates surrounding Georgia. Ganja was occupied and sacked, and 3,000 citizens were killed. Persia considered the khanates surrounding Georgia to be its vassal states, and Fath Ali Shah took the Russian progression into these territories as justification for the declaration of war. On 23 May 1804, Fath Ali Shah demanded Russian troops be withdrawn from Persian territory in
6318-432: The Gilan province, which were significant provinces in the silk production industry. The Ottoman sultan sent an emissary to Peter warning that further incursion on Persian territory would constitute grounds for declaring war on Russia. In September 1722, many Russian ships were lost in a storm, and an epidemic killed a significant portion of the horses in the Russian cavalry. Russian troops withdrew to Astrakhan, with
6435-404: The Moscow Trading Company Headquarters was the wealthy realm of the Safavid Empire . The company started sending envoys during the reign of Shah Tahmasp I during the first years in business. Anthony Jenkinson was one of the first leaders of these envoys. In total, there were six visits and the last one was in June 1579 during the reign of Shah Mohammad Khodabandeh led by Arthur Edwards. But at
6552-448: The Ottoman Empire as their enemy. The Persians became hostile to the envoy party when a Russian expedition led by Prince Bekovich-Cherkassky landed on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea at Khiva . Volynsky reported to the tsar that Persia was on the verge of collapse. He furthermore recommended that the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Astarabad be annexed by Russia due to their capacity for silk production. In January 1721
6669-583: The Ottomans in exchange for Ashraf Hotak being declared as Shah of Persia. The Treaty of Resht , signed by the Russian Empire and Safavid Persia on 21 January 1732, gave Persia a portion of territories ceded in 1723 in the Treaty of St Petersburg. Russia ceded the Astarabad, Gilan and Mazandaran provinces to Persia. Under the terms of the treaty it was also specified that in the case that Ottomans relinquished Caucasian territories back to Russia, Russia would also cede Derbent and Baku. The treaty also ensured free trade for Russian merchants in Persia, and that
6786-510: The Ottomans, Shah Abbas I attempted to establish alternate overland trade routes through Russia. An Ottoman attempt to capture Shirvan caused Shah Tahmasp I to send a diplomatic envoy to Moscow in 1552. In 1580, the Ottomans occupied Shirvan and parts of Khartli-Kakheti , including Tiflis . Ottoman forces also threatened Astrakhan , which was key to an important trade route and a Russian commercial centre. Shah Mohammed Khodabanda promised to cede Derbent and Baku to Russia following
6903-474: The Persian capital, Isfahan. Daud Khan, the Sunni Muslim chieftain of the Lezgin tribe, had been detained in Derbent for inciting rebellion, but was released in August 1721 following the initial attack by the Afghans in the hope that he would raise an army to support the shah. Daud Khan and his Lezgin followers sacked the city of Shamakhi in August 1721, killing thousands of Shia Muslims and killing several wealthy Russian merchants. Artemy Volynsky, who
7020-436: The Prophet's birthday and Easter." Embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes an embassy or high commission , which is the main office of a country's diplomatic representatives to another country; it
7137-420: The Qajar dynasty. The great tremor of the Persian political landscape occurred when the involvement of General Edmund Ironside eventually led to the rise of Reza Shah Pahlavi in the 1920s. The popular view that the British were involved in the 1921 coup was noted as early as March 1921 by the American embassy and relayed to the Iran desk at the Foreign Office. A British Embassy report from 1932 concedes that
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#17327828232377254-437: The Qajarid government found itself fast after their ascendancy incapable of rising to the numerous complex foreign political challenges at the doorsteps of Persia. During the monarchy of Fath Ali Shah , Sir John Malcolm , Sir Harford Jones-Brydges, 1st Baronet , Allen Lindsay , Henry Pottinger , Charles Christie , Sir Henry Rawlinson , Harold Nicolson , Sir John McNeill , Edmund Ironside , and James Morier were some of
7371-465: The Revolutionary Guards' Navy while training Iraqi river patrol personnel in the Persian Gulf . On 23 March 2007 fifteen Royal Navy personnel were seized by the naval forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for allegedly having strayed into Iranian waters. Eight sailors and seven Royal Marines on two boats from HMS Cornwall were detained at 10:30 local time by six Guard boats of the IRGC Navy. They were subsequently taken to Tehran. Iran reported that
7488-436: The Russian Empire. The earliest records of official relations between Russia and Persia show that in 1521, Shah Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty sent a diplomatic envoy to Tsar Vasili III of Muscovy . Commercial relations, however, were infrequent, and often involved Tatars acting as merchant intermediaries. In 1514, the Ottoman Empire instated a commercial blockade against Persia. In order to reduce this pressure from
7605-419: The Russian ambassador was permitted to reside in Persia. The Treaty of Ganja was signed in March 1735 between the Russian Empire and Persia. The treaty gave Persia the remainder of territories ceded in 1723: Derbent, Baku and the surrounding Shirvan province, and Tarki. Furthermore, it marked the Terek River as the boundary between Russia and Persia. In 1781, a Russian commander, Count Voinovich , led
7722-539: The Russian troops arrived in Astrakhan on 29 June 1722. An envoy was sent to inform Shah Husayn that the Russian forces were there to aid in subduing the rebels, rather than to declare war. Peter proposed to render aid in subduing the Afghans and the Lezgin rebellion, and to ensure that the Ottoman Empire did not take advantage of the situation and invade. The envoy was also instructed to inform Shah Husayn that this aid would only be given provided Persia ceded certain provinces to Russia. The envoy, however, did not pass on
7839-473: The Swedish embassy in Tehran while Iranian interests in the United Kingdom were maintained by the Omani embassy in London . In July 2013, it was announced that the UK would consider opening better relations with Iran "step-by-step" following the election of President Hassan Rouhani . On October 8, 2013, Britain and Iran announced that they would each appoint a chargé d'affaires to work toward resuming full diplomatic relations. On February 20, 2014,
7956-409: The United Kingdom paid a state visit to Iran in March 1961. The British forces began to withdraw from Persian Gulf in 1968. This was done out of economic considerations as the British simply could not continue to afford the costs of administration. (See also East of Suez ). As part of this policy, in 1971, the then British government decided not to support the Shah and eventually, the patronage of
8073-426: The United Kingdom ended, and consequently, this role was filled by the US. On 30 April 1980, the Iranian Embassy in London was taken over by a six-man terrorist team holding the building for six days until the hostages were rescued by a raid by the SAS . After the Revolution of Iran in 1979, Britain suspended all diplomatic relations with Iran. Britain did not have an embassy until it was reopened in 1988. During
8190-426: The United States quickly moved to convert Iran into an anti-communist bloc, thus considerably diminishing Britain's influence on Iran for years to come. Operation Ajax and the fall of Prime Minister Mosaddegh was perhaps the last of the large British involvements in Iranian politics in the Pahlavi era. The Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi paid a state visit to the United Kingdom in May 1959. Queen Elizabeth II of
8307-740: The Vienna Convention. Examples are the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Offices that represent the government of the Republic of China; Somaliland's Representative Offices in London, Addis Ababa , Rome, Taipei , and Washington, D.C. ; the Hong Kong and Macau economic and trade offices that represent the governments of those two territories. Such offices assume some of the non-diplomatic functions of diplomatic posts, such as promoting trade interests and providing assistance to its citizens and residents. They are nevertheless not diplomatic missions, their personnel are not diplomats and do not have diplomatic visas, although there may be legislation providing for personal immunities and tax privileges, as in
8424-545: The book All the Shah's Men , the British tried to convince Harry S. Truman to join their campaign against Iran. However, it was only when Dwight Eisenhower became the president that British succeeded in convincing U.S. to join their plot. In order to convince the Eisenhower administration Woodhouse shaped his appeal around the rhetoric of anti-communism. They pointed out the Tudeh party could take control of Iran. After
8541-615: The capitulation treaties, and the failure of the Anglo-Iranian Agreement of 1919 earlier, led to intense diplomatic efforts by the British government to regularize relations between the two countries on a treaty basis. On the Iranian side negotiations on the widest range of issues were conducted by Abdolhossein Teymourtash , the Minister of Court from 1925 to 1932, and Iran's nominal Minister of Foreign Affairs during
8658-687: The case of the Hong Kong offices in London and Toronto or the Macau office in Lisbon, for example. Russo-Persian Wars The Russo-Persian Wars or Russo-Iranian Wars ( Persian : جنگهای ایران و روسیه , romanized : Janghâye Irân va Russī-ye ) were a series of conflicts between 1651 and 1828, concerning Persia and the Russian Empire . Russia and Persia fought these wars over disputed governance of territories and countries in
8775-546: The city. By the end of 1795, Agha Mohammed Khan had captured Tiflis and dominated northern Persia. In the invasion, thousands of Georgians were massacred, and 15,000 citizens taken into captivity and sent as slaves to Persia. Erekle II fled from Tiflis. Tsarina Catherine II of Russia began a campaign in 1796 to overthrow Agha Mohammed Khan in favour of Morteza Qoli Khan. Russian forces, consisting of 20,000 men, began to march from Kizlyar in April 1796 to Derbent, which
8892-460: The city. On 28 November 2011 Iran downgraded its relations with Britain due to new sanctions put in place by the UK. The next day a band of students and Basiji attacked the UK embassy compound in Tehran, damaging property and driving the embassy staff away. On 30 November 2011, in response to the attack, the UK closed its embassy in Tehran and ordered the Iranian embassy in London closed. According to
9009-512: The countries. In 1651, 138 bales of Persian silk were in storage in Astrakhan due to a lack of demand. Artemy Petrovich Volynsky was sent as an envoy to Isfahan to conclude a commercial treaty that would give Russia a monopoly on the Persian silk trade. This mission also gathered intelligence about Persian resources, geography, infrastructure, military and other strengths. He was further instructed to highlight Russia as Persia's ally and
9126-625: The debut of the British East India Company into Persia, and the establishment of trade routes for silk though Jask in the Strait of Hormuz in 1616. It was from here where the likes of Sir John Malcolm later gained influence into the Qajarid throne. Anglo-Persian relations picked up momentum as a weakened Safavid empire, after the short-lived revival by the military genius Nader Shah (r. 1736-1747), eventually gave way to
9243-427: The deposed ruler of Khartli-Kakheti, Teimuraz . This expansion into Persian territory and support for Teimuraz angered Shah Abbas II , as Teimuraz had been deposed by the shah. In 1653, the shah ordered the governors of Ardabil, Erivan , Karabakh , Astarabad and parts of Azerbaijan to send troops to the aid of Khosrow Khan. Further troops were contributed by the governor of Derbent, the Shamkhalate of Tarki and
9360-579: The elite "Ghulam" slave soldiers, consisting of en masse deported and imported Circassians , Georgians , and Armenians and other Caucasians by the Shahs). The effects of these modernizations proved to be highly successful, as from then on the Safavids proved to be an equal force against their arch rival, immediately crushing them in the first war to come ( Ottoman–Safavid War (1603–1618) ) and all other Safavid wars to come. Many more events followed, including
9477-554: The events of 1953, scores of Iranian political activists from the National and Communist parties were jailed or killed. This coup only added to the deep mistrust towards the British in Iran. It has since been very common in Iranian culture to mistrust British government; a good example is the character of Uncle in the television show My Uncle Napoleon . The end of World War II brought the start of American dominance in Iran's political arena, and with an anti-Soviet Cold War brewing,
9594-414: The fortress at Shusha . At Shusha, the siege lasted from 8 July to 9 August 1795. The governor of Shusha eventually surrendered, however denied the army entry to Shusha. Agha Mohammed Khan negotiated with the governor to gain access to the road to Tiflis through Shusha. Agha Mohammed Khan subsequently moved from Shusha to occupy Ganja. 40,000 men marched from Ganja to Tiflis on 10 September 1795 and took
9711-490: The framework of diplomacy among sovereign states: The functions of a diplomatic mission consist, inter alia , in representing the sending State in the receiving State; protecting in the receiving State the interests of the sending State and of its nationals, within the limits permitted by international law; negotiating with the Government of the receiving State; ascertaining by all lawful means conditions and developments in
9828-432: The governor of Shamakhi, refused to grant protection to Russian merchants. Exports of silk remained high in the early seventeenth century. In 1623, over 2,000 kg of silk was shipped from Astrakhan to cities across the Russian empire. Under Shah Safi I , however, the official exports decreased and were replaced by private merchant trade. In 1634, no trade was recorded, and no wares transported. Two years later, trade
9945-413: The head of such a mission is typically both a permanent representative and an ambassador. European Union missions abroad are known as EU delegations. Some countries have more particular nomenclature for their missions and staff: a Vatican mission is headed by a nuncio ( Latin for "envoy") and consequently known as an apostolic nunciature . Under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi , Libya's missions used
10062-555: The host country or a third country. For example, North Korean nationals, who would be arrested and deported from China upon discovery, have sought sanctuary at various third-country embassies in China. Once inside the embassy, diplomatic channels can be used to solve the issue and send the refugees to another country. See the list of people who took refuge in a diplomatic mission for a list of some notable cases. Notable violations of embassy extraterritoriality include repeated invasions of
10179-679: The liberation of these cities from the Ottoman Empire. Russia annexed the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates in 1552 and 1556 respectively, to extend the Volga trade route to the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea . Significant points along this trade route were Gilan and Derbent, as the origins of the maritime and overland trade routes between Russia and Persia respectively, and the commercial centres of Astrakhan and Shamakhi . Shamakhi in particular
10296-584: The message concerning the cessation of these provinces. Vakhtang VI supplied 30,000 men to the army, and the Armenians sent 10,000 more. From Astrakhan, the troops then proceeded to attack Persian fortresses on the western coast of the Caspian Sea, and occupied the fortress at Derbent. The Russians then seized Baku and Salyan in the Shirvan province, Lankaran in the Talesh province, and Anzali in
10413-509: The mission (which means the head of mission's residence) without permission of the represented country, even to put out a fire. International rules designate an attack on an embassy as an attack on the country it represents. The term 'extraterritoriality' is often applied to diplomatic missions, but normally only in this broader sense. As the host country's authorities may not enter the representing country's embassy without permission, embassies are sometimes used by refugees escaping from either
10530-400: The name people's bureau , headed by a secretary. Missions between Commonwealth countries are known as high commissions , and their heads are high commissioners. Generally speaking, ambassadors and high commissioners are regarded as equivalent in status and function, and embassies and high commissions are both deemed to be diplomatic missions. In the past, a diplomatic mission headed by
10647-664: The period. The ire of the British Government was raised, however, by Persian diplomatic claims to the oil-rich regions of the Greater and Lesser Tunbs islands, Abu Musa and Bahrain in the Persian Gulf region. On the economic front, on the other hand, Iran's pressures to rescind the monopoly rights of the British-owned Imperial Bank of Persia to issue banknotes in Iran, the Iranian Trade Monopoly Law of 1928, and prohibitions whereby
10764-542: The pretext of helping the city. In 1723, the governor of Resht requested Russian troops leave as aid was not required. The troops did not leave, however, and were besieged in their barracks. On 28 March 1723, a company of Russian troops escaped the siege and the Persians besieging the barracks were attacked from both sides, with over 1,000 men killed. Ismail Beg, Tahmasp II ’s envoy, arrived in St Petersburg on 30 July 1723 to inform Peter of Tahmasp's ascension to
10881-478: The receiving State, and reporting thereon to the Government of the sending State; promoting friendly relations between the sending State and the receiving State, and developing their economic, cultural and scientific relations. Diplomatic missions between members of the Commonwealth of Nations are not called embassies, but high commissions , for Commonwealth nations share a special diplomatic relationship. It
10998-616: The ruler of the Kara Qaytaq. These troops drove the Russians from the fortress and set fire to it. That same year, an envoy led by Prince Ivan Lobanov-Rostovsky of Russia travelled to Persia to request that the governor of Shamakhi not meddle in Dagestani affairs, that compensation be given for the losses suffered, and that all Russian merchants be released. This conflict over Georgia and Dagestan affected trade relations between
11115-403: The sailors are well. About 200 students targeted the British Embassy on 1 April 2007 calling for the expulsion of the country's ambassador because of the standoff over Iran's capture of 15 British sailors and marines. The protesters chanted "Death to Britain" and " Death to America ". Speculation on the Iranians' motivations for this action ran rampant; with the Iranians under tremendous pressure on
11232-604: The same in 1653. The first Persians to engage in commercial trade with Russia were Armenians from Julfa , in northern Persia. Julfa was an important link in the Russo-Persian trade route originating in Gilan. In 1604, Shah Abbas I resettled a significant population of Armenians from Julfa to his newly established capital, Isfahan , giving them commercial rights. Shah Abbas extended credit, lowered taxes, and granted religious freedom to this Armenian population. Throughout
11349-546: The shah punish Khosrow Khan. The shah took no action and in 1649, Khosrow Khan sent another letter restating his warning. The tension between the countries escalated when, in 1650, Cossacks robbed a caravan carrying wares from Shirvan and Dagestan, and several people were killed. The Russians expanded a garrison on the Sulak River , and constructed several more on the Terek River, including one garrison in support of
11466-520: The signature of the Treaty of Georgievsk, the Vladikavkaz fortress was built on the Terek River. The governor of the Gilan province, Hedayatollah, sought Russian support against Agha Mohammed Khan, and Russia stipulated the vassalage of Anzali in return for this support. Russia supported Morteza Qoli Khan , the brother and rival of Agha Mohammed Khan, on the proviso that following his ascension to
11583-655: The signing of the Peace of Zuhab in 1639, which resulted in diplomatic caution from the Persians, out of a desire to not antagonise the Ottoman Empire. In 1645, there was unrest between the Russian Cossacks and the Lezgins , who were considered Persian subjects. These tensions were centred primarily along the Georgian-Dagestani border. A Russian-supported candidate gained leadership of Dagestan over
11700-483: The situation may demand for the Company's protection." At this point, Hassan Taqizadeh , the new Iranian minister to have been entrusted the task of assuming responsibility for the oil dossier, was to intimate to the British that the cancellation was simply meant to expedite negotiations and that it would constitute political suicide for Iran to withdraw from negotiations. Rezā Shāh was removed from power abruptly during
11817-678: The sixteenth century, Persian diplomatic relations were often accompanied by commercial envoys, sending silk and metal wares to Russia. In return, Russia sent furs, falcons and wild animals. In fact, velvet, taffeta and silk from Kashan , Isfahan and Yazd made up over seventy percent of the goods transported to Russia in the sixteenth century. In 1616, a diplomatic mission to Moscow assured promises of protection over Persian merchants trading in Russia. Persian merchants in Russia often accompanied diplomatic envoys. However, Russian merchants were regularly harassed in Gilan and Ardabil , and Yusuf Khan,
11934-459: The terms of the oil concession on a more favorable basis for Iran led to protracted negotiations that took place in Tehran, Lausanne , London and Paris between Teymourtash and the Chairman of APOC, Sir John Cadman , spanning the years from 1928 to 1932. The overarching argument for revisiting the terms of the D'Arcy Agreement on the Iranian side was that its national wealth was being squandered by
12051-661: The terms of the treaty, and Russia was permitted to retain Mazandaran, Gilan and Astarabad. It was specified that should Persia refuse to acknowledge the treaty, both Russia and the Ottoman Empire would take action to enforce the treaty by installing a puppet ruler on the throne of Persia. The Treaty of Hamedan was signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Afghan Hotaki dynasty in October 1727. The Hotaks agreed to cede Zanjan , Sultaniyah , Abher , Teheran to
12168-574: The terms whereby the APOC retained near monopoly control over the oil industry in Iran as a result of the concession granted to William Knox D'Arcy in 1901 by the Qajar King of the period. "What Persians felt", Teymourtash would explain to his British counterparts in 1928, "was that an industry had been developed on their own soil in which they had no real share". Complicating matters further, and ensuring that such demands would in due course set Iran on
12285-472: The throne he would cede Anzali, Gilan, Mazandaran and Astarabad to the Russians. Agha Mohammed Khan viewed the Treaty of Georgievsk as defiance on the part of Erekle II and Khartli-Kakheti and moved toward Tiflis in 1795 in an attempt to restore Persian dominion. Agha Mohammed Khan raised an army of 60,000 men, intending also to retake Karabakh, Ganja , Shirvan and Khartli-Kakheti. He divided his force into three, simultaneously attacking Shirvan, Erivan, and
12402-639: The throne, and to request aid against the rebels and the Afghans. The Treaty of St Petersburg was signed between the Russian Empire and the Persian Empire on 23 September 1723 to conclude the Second Russo-Persian War. Under the terms of the treaty, the tsar would accord the shah friendship, and aid in fighting against rebels. In return, Persia would cede Derbent, Baku, and the provinces of Mazandaran, Gilan, Shirvan and Astarabad. Ismail Beg, Tahmasp's ambassador in Russia, signed
12519-606: The time the company's envoys reached the royal court in Qazvin , the Shah was busy protecting his borders from his arch rival, the Ottoman Empire . In order to attain the wealth of the country, the company penetrated successfully into the bazaars and dispatched more envoys. In 1597, as Abbas I of Safavid sought to establish an alliance against his arch rival, the Ottomans, he received Robert Shirley , Anthony Shirley , and
12636-415: The treaty but the shah refused to ratify it when the text of the treaty was sent to him in April 1724. The Treaty of Constantinople was signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire on 24 June 1724, in order to mitigate the political crisis caused between the two empires following the signature of the Treaty of St Petersburg. The Ottoman Empire was ceded Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia under
12753-491: Was a nominal vassal of Persia. Russian forces occupied Derbent, Dagestan and Baku, and built fortresses south of the Terek River . The Persians, however, were cautious about challenging these territorial claims in fear of jeopardising an anti-Ottoman coalition. Between 1598 and 1618, the Russians sent many envoys to Persia in response to requests for military aid against the Ottoman Empire. In 1612, Shah Abbas I signed
12870-618: Was an interbellum period in which a number of treaties were drawn up between the Russian and the Persian Empires, as well as between both parties and the Ottoman Empire . Ottoman interest in these territories further complicated the wars, with both sides forming alliances with the Ottoman Empire at different points throughout the wars. Following the Treaty of Turkmenchay , which concluded the Fifth Russo-Persian War , Persia ceded much of its Transcaucasian territory to
12987-619: Was given two ships that sailed towards the port city of Arkhangelsk . The captain of one of those ships was Cpt. Richard Chancellor , who successfully reached the northern city. From there, Sebastian Cabot and his envoy traveled towards the Russian city of Moscow with a business proposition for the Grand Duke Ivan IV the Terrible . When it was accepted, the Moscow Trading Company came into existence. South of
13104-419: Was immediately denounced by all ranks of businessmen, clergy, and nationalists of Persia, and the concession was quickly forced into cancellation. Similarly, the "Tobacco fatwa" , decreed by Grand Ayatollah Mirza Hassan Shirazi was an incident which raised popular resentment against the British presence in Persia in lieu of a diplomatically decapitated and apathetic Qajar throne. Concessions such as this and
13221-513: Was now the governor of Astrakhan, urged Tsar Peter I to send troops to intervene in the rebellion. Vakhtang VI , ruler of the Persian vassal state and East Georgian kingdom of Khartli-Kakheti, contacted Peter to give his support for Russian advances into the Caucasian territories. Daud Khan then sought the protection of the Ottoman sultan. Following the Afghan victory over the Persians at
13338-460: Was once more brought to a halt, by plague, but trade resumed and grew significantly. In 1676, 41,000 kg of silk was exported from Persia to Russia. From 1464 to 1465, Tsar Ivan III sent an envoy to Shamakhi seeking an anti-Ottoman coalition. This interest in an anti-Ottoman alliance continued into the sixteenth century, and during the reign of Shah Abbas I, Persia maintained a strong anti-Ottoman foreign policy. The breakdown of Muscovy in
13455-619: Was quoted saying that "Iran has become more attractive because it now pursues a more liberal economic policy". As of 2009, the total assets frozen in Britain under the EU (European Union) and UN sanctions against Iran are approximately £976m ($ 1.64 billion). In November 2011, Britain severed all ties with Iranian banks as part of a package of sanctions from the US, UK and Canada aimed at confronting Tehran’s nuclear programme . The confrontation between
13572-731: Was seized on 10 May 1796. Russian troops occupied Talesh, Salyan, Derbent, Baku, Shamakhi and Ganja by June 1796. Following the death of Catherine II, Tsar Paul I recalled all troops from the Caucasus. On 18 January 1801, it was agreed that Khartli-Kakheti would become a protectorate of Russia. On 12 September 1801, Tsar Alexander formally announced the decision to annex Khartli-Kakheti after Persia attempted to reassert suzerainty. In 1804, following civil unrest, Fath Ali Shah had new silver and gold coins minted in Erivan, Ganja and Nukha to show proof of suzerainty over these provinces. From 1802 to 1804, Russian forces captured and subdued
13689-523: Was the site of much merchant trade from Russia: silks, leather, metal wares, furs, wax and tallow. Persian merchants traded in Russia, additionally, reaching as far as Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, which developed into trade centres. In 1555, the Muscovy , or Russia Company was created for the sole purpose of overland trade with Persia. In 1562, the province of Shirvan sent an envoy to Russia to establish official trade relations. Shamakhi subsequently did
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