The French and German ambassadors to Iran, the last of the EU diplomats to return to their posts after a diplomatic dispute, were flying back to Tehran together last night. The ambassadors are expected to arrive in Tehran this morning, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said.
France and Germany, along with other EU member states, recalled their ambassadors from Tehran in April after a German court accused Iran of state-sponsored terrorism, and being responsible for the assassination of Iranian Kurdish opposition leaders in Berlin in 1992.
The ambassadors of the other EU member states arrived in Tehran last week in a staged return, worked out as a compromise with Iran.
Tehran had insisted that the German envoy return last, while the EU wanted all ambassadors to return together.
The French ambassador, Mr Jean-Pierre Masset, flew to Germany earlier yesterday to join his colleague for the journey to Tehran.
Iran withdrew its ambassadors from EU member states as part of the diplomatic dispute in April. Most of them have already returned to their posts following the agreement.
Once the French and German ambassadors are back in the Iranian capital, the Iranian ambassadors to France and Germany could return to their posts, the French spokesman said.
Germany and the EU hope to develop relations with Iran in harmony with EU interests and Iranian policy priorities, the German spokesman added. The envoys' return comes just a fortnight before the summit in Tehran of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which the Iranian authorities hope will mark the normalisation of its ties with the rest of the Islamic world.
In Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mr Kamal Kharazi, welcomed the return of EU ambassadors, saying he hoped it would lead to the development of closer ties between the EU and Iran.
"We hope that, with the ambassadors' return, the process of developing our ties is going to resume its course," Mr Kharazi told state television.
He said their return "showed Iran was right" and confirmed the "stability" of the Islamic republic.
Argentina may move towards further diplomatic action against Iran for the deadly bomb attack in Buenos Aires, the Foreign Minister, Mr Guido di Tella, said yesterday. In the car-bombing of the headquarters of the Argentine Jewish Groups Federation, 86 people were killed and more than 200 injured.
Following the attack, Argentina and Iran reduced their diplomatic representation to the business attache level, and the President, Mr Carlos Menem, said there was "half-complete" proof of Iranian involvement.