Iran new envoy holds talks in London

Iran's new envoy to Britain held talks with officials in London on Friday, the foreign ministry said, as ties thaw between the two countries. The visit by non-resident charge d'affaires Hassan Habibollah-Zadeh follows a trip to Tehran last week by his British counterpart Ajay Sharma. Sharma's visit was the first time a British diplomat has gone to Iran since students ransacked the British embassy two years ago. The Iranian envoy "was here this morning. He met Foreign Office officials including his counterpart Ajay Sharma," a British Foreign Office spokesman told Agence France Presse. Habibollah-Zadeh arrived in Britain on Thursday. Iran and Britain each named a non-resident charge d'affaires -- a diplomatic post that is one level below ambassador -- last month. No date has been set for the envoys to be permanently posted. Britain shut its Tehran embassy after it was badly damaged in the November 2011 ransacking by students who were protesting against Western sanctions over Iran's disputed nuclear program. But relations have improved since moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani became Iran's new president in August.