The Foreign Office has relaxed its travel advice over Iran following the historic nuclear deal agreed earlier this month.

Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, said that in certain areas of Iran the risks had changed because of “decreasing hostility”.

Previous advice said there was an unacceptably high risk to those visiting the country. But although the government was still urging UK nationals not to go to the regions bordering Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, it has downgraded its guidance for other areas.

Hammond said: “Our policy is to recommend against travel to an area when we judge that the risk is unacceptably high. We consider that continues to be the case for specific areas of Iran, notably along Iran’s borders with Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. But we believe that in other areas of Iran the risk to British nationals has changed, in part due to decreasing hostility under President Rouhani’s government.”

The nuclear deal struck in Vienna was greeted with street parties in Iran, as Rouhani hailed the start of a new phase in international relations. “This is a new opportunity both for Iran and the world,” he said. “The world can now find a new partner in restoring the peace and security of our region. Iran will also find an opportunity to take tangible steps to resolve its economic problems resulting from sanctions.”



Iran’s vice-president for tourism, Masoud Soltanifar, said at the time: “No other industry in Iran will see a bigger boost than tourism as the result of this deal. The news about the nuclear agreement and lifting of economic sanctions has delighted our tourism industry.”

Hammond has told the Commons he expects to reopen Britain’s embassy in Tehran before the end of the year. “There is a very clear will to do it and I will be working directly with my Iranian counterpart to ensure that we clear away those obstacles over the next few months,” he said.

While relaxing its travel advice, the Foreign Office reiterated that people should carefully consider the risks of travelling to Iran. Because the embassy is still closed, it said it could only offer limited consular support, although in urgent cases British nationals can use the embassy of any other EU member state in Tehran.