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Written Question
Middle East: Diplomatic Relations
Monday 24th July 2023

Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the recent restoration of diplomatic relations between several Middle Eastern states.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We welcome the recent agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran if it leads to a de-escalation of tension. The onus is on Iran to honour its commitments. We also welcome the Abraham Accords as a historic milestone bringing us closer to the goal of shared prosperity and peace throughout the region. The UK is working with regional partners to ensure the Abraham Accords are an enduring success, and we continue to encourage other countries who have not yet normalised their relations with Israel to do so. We continue to support efforts to ensure normalisation also delivers benefits for the Palestinians.


Written Question
Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla
Thursday 4th May 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government from which countries the Heads of State have not been invited to attend His Majesty The King's Coronation.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Invitations were issued to the Heads of State of all nations with whom the UK has full diplomatic relations, with a small number of exceptions. Realms and Overseas Territories also received invitations in line with their constitutional arrangements. Invitations were not issued to Afghanistan, Belarus, Myanmar, Russia, Syria, Iran and Venezuela. Invitations were issued at London Head of Mission level to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Nicaragua.


Written Question
Iran: Diplomatic Relations
Wednesday 16th November 2022

Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of downgrading the UK's diplomatic relations with Iran.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK-Iran bilateral relationship is an important part of our policy and a key enabling tool in achieving our wider goals. Maintaining diplomatic ties allows the UK to address important issues of human rights, UK security, our consular cases and Iran's role in the region. We do not agree on everything, but it is right that Britain and Iran should maintain dialogue. The Foreign Secretary summoned the Iranian Chargé d'affaires on 3 October and on 11 November, to make our dissatisfaction with Iran's actions clear. We also reiterated to the Chargé on 26 October the need for Iran to adhere to internationally recognised human rights. The UK also engages the Iranian authorities on a full range of issues through His Majesty's Ambassador and the British Embassy in Tehran.


Written Question
Iran: Hostage Taking
Friday 3rd December 2021

Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to counter the practice of hostage-taking by the government of Iran; and what assessment they have made of the value of the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, launched in February, in taking such steps.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We do not accept any of our dual nationals being used as diplomatic leverage. We remain committed to securing the immediate and permanent release of unfairly detained British nationals in Iran, including Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori. The Foreign Secretary discussed their cases with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on 8 November. The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Bagheri Kani visited the FCDO on 11 November to meet senior government officials and Minister Cleverly, who raised all our cases with his Iranian counterpart.

As part of the Canadian Initiative Against Arbitrary Detention, we are committed to enhancing international cooperation to stop any State from arbitrarily detaining foreign nationals for coercive purposes. We are working with our G7 partners to enhance mechanisms to uphold international law, tackle human rights abuses and stand up for our shared values.


Written Question
Iran: Terrorism
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) downgrading the UK's diplomatic relations with Iran and (b) closing the Iranian Embassy in the UK until the UK has received assurances from Iran that they will not engage in acts of state terrorism.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

Hostile activity such as the bomb plot against a conference in Paris in 2018 is unacceptable and must have consequences. The UK, along with our European partners, has directly condemned such attacks and in 2019 the EU adopted sanctions against those responsible. Following the end of the Transition Period, these sanctions are now enforced under the UK autonomous Counter-Terrorism sanctions regime. The IRGC also remains sanctioned in its entirety by the UK. We strongly condemn the targeting of civilians and welcome that those responsible have been held to account.

We continue to work closely with our European partners on security and counter-terrorism issues. We expect diplomatic and consular missions in the UK to respect our laws and regulations in line with their obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and UK law.


Written Question
Iran: Diplomatic Relations
Wednesday 3rd June 2020

Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on reported social media comments by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stating that Britain has always been a source of evil and catastrophe.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

We have a long-standing bilateral relationship with Iran. This is not without its challenges and we continue to engage with Iran, including at ministerial level, on a range of important issues. However, no representations have been made on the Supreme Leader's comments.

On the reference to Palestine, we are clear that we want to see the creation of a sovereign, independent and viable Palestinian state - living in peace and security, side by side with Israel.


Written Question
British Embassy Tehran
Tuesday 2nd June 2020

Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether an agreement has been reached with Iran on compensating the UK for damage to the British embassy in Tehran in 2011.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

Damage caused to the British embassy in Tehran in 2011 was a grave breach of the Vienna Convention. No agreement has been reached on compensation related to the damage. Iranian officials have apologised for the incident and the UK reopened our Embassy in Tehran in August 2015. We re-established full diplomatic relations in September the following year.


Written Question
Iran: Diplomatic Relations
Monday 20th January 2020

Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with the UK's allies to (a) reduce tensions and (b) return to diplomacy with Iran.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The UK continues to call on all sides to de-escalate to reduce tensions in the region. Escalation is in nobody’s interest. The Prime Minister has spoken to President Trump, President Rouhani, President Macron, Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi in recent days, and will have calls with other leaders in the coming days to encourage de-escalation. It is vital that all leaders now pursue a diplomatic way forward.


Written Question
Iran: Terrorism
Wednesday 17th October 2018

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the validity of reports that Iran is using its embassies in Europe as cover for terrorist activity.

Answered by Alistair Burt

We are clear that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations requires that the premises of a diplomatic mission are not used in any manner incompatible with the functions of the mission as described in the Convention or by other rules of general international law. We are aware that France has frozen the assets of an Iranian individual who is reported to have been accredited to a diplomatic mission in Europe and arrested in connection with an alleged attack plot.


Written Question
Iran: Terrorism
Wednesday 1st August 2018

Asked by: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Independent Ulster Unionist - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken with European allies, including Germany and Belgium, to ensure Iran cannot use its embassies to harbour suspected terrorists.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We work closely with our European partners on security and counter-terrorism issues. We are clear that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations requires that the premises of a diplomatic mission are not used in any manner incompatible with the functions of the mission as described in the Convention or by other rules of general international law.