Yesterday, reports quoted Baroness Symons, Britain's minister of state for trade and investment, who is also deputy leader of the House of Lords, as saying that top British diplomat Jack Straw will visit Tehran soon.

She also said that Iran occupies an important and strategic place in the Middle East and one of the aims of British diplomacy is to strengthen ties with the Islamic Republic.

Her comments, combined with the recent decision by the British Foreign Office to appoint Charles Dalton as Britain's new ambassador to Tehran, signal the will to begin a new era in relations between the two countries.

It seems that the British have decided to follow other Europeans in upgrading political and economic ties with Iran, after a lull of nine months resulting from Iran's rejection of the last Foreign Office appointee to represent London in Tehran.

Analysts here believe that after some hard thinking and consultations the British came to the conclusion that Iran's refusal to accept London's choice for ambassador fell within Iran's rights and international diplomatic norms.

They also seem to have accepted Iran's assurances that the move was not meant to snub the Foreign Office or adversely affect British diplomacy or prestige.

Notwithstanding diplomatic rows, the British are not newcomers to this region to be oblivious of the pivotal role of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East.

Also, trade figures point to a decline in trade between the two nations in the last nine months, and that is an added incentive for the British not to miss economic opportunities which can be exploited to the benefit of both countries.

Thus, in order for the two nations to establish a stable and mutually beneficial relationship, continual high-level exchanges of diplomats and businessmen seem essential.

In spite of all political and diplomatic complications, the two countries have managed to cooperate in fighting drug trafficking for instance, and Iran expects Britain to join it in meticulous planning and closer cooperation aimed at resisting the immense threat this menace presents to all humanity.

There is also widespread belief here that the EU member countries, and the British specifically, are not serious or sincere about fighting illicit drugs that are shipped to Europe through Iran, and have not contributed much in terms of technology, equipment, or money in the common war on illicit drugs.

Valorous Iranian soldiers and policemen on the front lines of this thankless war are left alone, lacking essential technology and equipment to better control the seemingly endless caravans of death crossing our eastern borders every night.

Another obstacle hindering better ties between Iran and Britain is the historically negative view Iranians hold of British foreign policy in the Middle East. This is compounded by vested interests and lobbies in Britain trying to block any British-Iranian rapprochement.

Nevertheless, some analysts believe that if the British conduct themselves according to international law -- unlike numerous times in the near and distant past - and avoid temptations to meddle in the internal affairs of Iran, then chances for mature and mutually beneficial ties seem more favorable than at any time in the recent past.