Ambassador Hamid Baeidinejad | ||
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Location South Kensington, London Address 16 Prince's Gate, London, SW7 1PT | ||
The Embassy of Iran in London is the diplomatic mission of Iran in the United Kingdom. It is located in a terrace overlooking Hyde Park in South Kensington, Westminster, London, next to the embassy of Ethiopia. Iran also maintains a Consular Section at 50 Kensington Court, South Kensington. The embassy building, along with the Ethiopian Embassy and the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum, is one of a group of Grade II listed stucco buildings.
The embassy was the location of the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in which members of the Iranian-Arab nationalist group the Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan seized the building for several days before being overrun by the SAS. The embassy was severely damaged during the siege and did not re-open until 1993. According to Dr Mir Ali Montazam, one-time first secretary at the embassy, the sale of artwork from the building played a key part in funding the Provisional IRA during the Troubles.
Following the 2011 attack on the British Embassy in Iran the British government expelled all Iranian embassy staff and closed the embassy in protest, alleging government support for the attack. Between 2011 and 2014, Iranian interests in the UK were represented by the Omani Embassy. Anglo-Iranian relations have improved since the election of President Hassan Rouhani and the countries made plans to re-open the embassy.
On February 20, 2014 the Embassy was restored and the two countries agreed to restart diplomatic relations.