'The British embassy in Tehran has always been taken seriously'

Britain is to reopen its embassy in Tehran, four years after it closed.

"This is a very positive development and I think it helps greatly towards more constructive communication engagement and dialogue between Iran and the UK", said Hossein Rassam, former political analyst at the British Embassy in Tehran.

"There is already enough suspicion on both sides and without that we'd be in a far worse position."

The Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, will travel to Iran this weekend, the first such visit since 2003.

"The British embassy in Tehran has always been taken seriously", said Mr Rassam.