The British foreign secretary says his country wants to be part of Iran’s economic development following thaw in ties between Tehran and London.
In an exclusive interview with Iran’s IRINN news channel, Philip Hammond said that Britain intends to restore economic ties with Iran.
He also said that Iran’s economic growth will accelerate once sanctions against the country are lifted.
Earlier this month, Hammond, heading a high-ranking economic delegation, visited Iran to reopen the UK embassy.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) and his British counterpart Philip Hammond shake hands during a joint press conference in Tehran on August 23, 2015.
He held talks with senior Iranian officials including President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Iran's Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh.
He was the most senior British official who visited Iran in a decade.
Following the conclusion of marathon nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, which includes the UK, the US, France, China, Russia and Germany, a plethora of economic activists and investors from across the world have been visiting Iran to explore investment opportunities in the country .
European companies, in particular, have been trying to find a way into Iran’s lucrative market, described by some analysts as one of “the world’s largest untapped emerging markets.”
Meanwhile, some British businesses have been resented by the perception that London’s frictions with Tehran have been undercutting their future prospects in Iran.