Iran Confrontation With U.K. Reflects History of Bad Blood
- Iran does not trust the U.K. from its colonial heyday
- U.K.’s political crisis is something Tehran can try to exploit
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The reopening of the British embassy in Tehran was meant to usher in a new era in relations. As the Union Jack flag was raised above the lush, landscaped gardens of the complex in August 2015, then-Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the event marked “an important milestone.”
That was just six weeks after an international accord was reached to restrict Iran’s nuclear program in return for relief from penalties that had strangled its economy. But since the accord started to unravel last year, tensions between Britain and Iran have been growing.