Britain reopens embassy closed in 2011 protest

Foreign secretary says ties have improved 'step by step' since Rouhani elected as Iranian president in 2013

Britain reopened its embassy in Teheran on Sunday, a striking signal of how Western ties with Iran have thawed since protesters ransacked the ambassador's residence and burned the Union Jack nearly four years ago.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond watched the British flag being raised in the garden of the opulent 19th century building while the national anthem played.