UK's Hammond: Britain should 'tread carefully with Iran'

Britain needs to remain cautious in its relations with Iran, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Monday in Tehran, after reopening the British embassy in the country nearly four years since protesters stormed the compound in Tehran.

Hammond arrived in the Iranian capital on Sunday to attend the opening ceremony of the British Embassy and to hold talks with officials in the country. Iran simultaneously opened its embassy in London, confirmed the Iranian ISNA news agency.

Although the historic step marks a thawing of relations between the Iranian authorities and Western powers, Hammond said disagreements remained on major issues between London and Tehran, such as human rights in the Shiite state.

"We should tread carefully. There's a deep legacy of distrust on both sides and we have major areas where we have very substantial policy differences."

Hammond added, however, that the current Iranian government had displayed a more nuanced approach than its predecessor with regards to Israel, saying that Tehran would be judged on its actions, not its words.

"Iran is too large a player in the Middle East to leave in isolation," he said. "We can have sensible dialogue on areas that we disagree on." He also said he expected sanctions on Iran could start to be lifted as early as Spring next year. "We could be talking as early as next spring to start to see sanctions lifting off."

Despite the controversies, Hammond said both countries saw "eye to eye" on the need to tackle militants from the self-styled "Islamic State," and to ban opium traffic. "What we're looking for is behavior from Iran, not only towards Israel but towards other players in the region, that slowly rebuilds their sense that Iran is not a threat to them."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed the reopening of the British Embassy and said it proved his country's regional and global significance.

"The world has realized Iran's constructive role in the region and globe," Zarif was quoted as saying on Sunday. "Of course, we have differences with some European countries, but that can be negotiated through interaction, open eyes and a realistic approach."

dr/msh (AP, dpa, Reuters)