Iran–United Kingdom relations

Iran and the United Kingdom maintain diplomatic, economic, and historical interactions. Iran, which was called Persia by the West before 1935, has had political relations with England since the late Ilkhanate period (13th century) when King Edward I of England sent Geoffrey of Langley to the Ilkhanid court to seek an alliance. Until the early nineteenth century, Iran was a remote and legendary country for Britain, so much so that the European country never seriously established a diplomatic center, such as a consulate or embassy. By the middle of the nineteenth century, Iran grew in importance as a buffer state to the United Kingdom's dominion over India. In recent years, relations between Iran and the United Kingdom have been marked by hostility as the United Kingdom sanctioned Iran while Iran detained British citizens and conducted influence campaigns within the United Kingdom.

Both countries share common membership of the United Nations. Bilaterally the two countries have an Air Transport Agreement.

History of Anglo-Iranian relations

Safavid era

In 1597, as Abbas I of Safavid sought to establish an alliance against his arch rival, the Ottomans, he received Robert Shirley, Anthony Shirley, and a group of 26 English envoys in Qazvin. Soon, the Shirley brothers were appointed by the Shah to organize and modernize the royal cavalry and train the army. The effects of these modernizations proved to be highly successful, as from then on the Safavids proved to be an equal force against their arch rival, immediately crushing them in the first war to come (Ottoman–Safavid War (1603–1618)) and all other Safavid wars to come.