TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast says the recent upheavals in relations between Iran and Britain have nothing to do with Iran’s negotiations with the 5+1 group to which Britain is a member.

The 5+1 group includes the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.

Speaking to IRNA in an interview published on Saturday, Mehmanparast said, “No decision has been made in this regard though,” adding that whenever Iran comes to the conclusion that political ties with London have been completely cut, then the impact of the severance on talks between Iran and the 5+1 group countries should be examined.    

Mehmanparast said British Foreign Secretary William Hague and a Foreign Office spokesperson have announced that Britain does not intend to sever ties with the Islamic Republic completely.

However, he said, “Expelling Iranian diplomats, on the one hand, and announcing that Britain does not want to totally sever relations with Iran, on the other hand, is contradictory and British authorities should explain this contradiction.” 

Mehmanparast went on to say that since bilateral relations have not been totally cut, Iran currently has no plans to appoint an interest section in London.

   

According to the parliamentary ratification the British ambassador to Iran should be expelled from the country within two weeks from the date of announcement of the law, the spokesman said.

Due to the fact that the British ambassador left Iran sooner than the deadline set, the law is already implemented, he added.

On November 27, MPs approved a proposal calling for a reduction in the level of diplomatic and trade ties with Britain to a minimum level. The proposal was approved by a vote of 171 to 3, with 7 abstentions.

The proposal required Tehran to reduce its relationship with London to the level of charge d’affaires within two weeks.

After ratification by the Guardian Council on November 28, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani announced the law to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to order the implementation of the law.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has described certain Western countries’ concern about Iran’s nuclear program as unjustified and said there is a suitable opportunity to negotiate with Tehran.

According to a translation of his remarks, he said, however, Iran should take the international community’s concern seriously.