The Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, said:

I would like to express my best wishes to those celebrating Nowruz in Britain, Iran and around the world. However and wherever you are celebrating the New Year, I wish you health and happiness for the future.

I was delighted to be able to visit Iran in August last year to re-open our embassy, to welcome Foreign Minister Zarif to the UK in February, and most recently to restart our visa services in Tehran and London.

Nowruz is a time for new beginnings, where people come together to celebrate the dawn of a ‘new day’. Wherever you are in the world celebrating Nowruz I wish you all a very happy and peaceful New Year.

Nowruz Mubarak.

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