UK appoints first ambassador to Iran in five years

The UK has appointed an ambassador to Iran for the first time since 2011, as part of its aims for "more productive co-operation".

The Foreign Office announcement comes one year after the reopening of the British Embassy in Tehran, BBC reports.

"This is an important moment in the relationship between the UK and Iran," Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said.

Nicholas Hopton, a former UK ambassador to Qatar and Yemen, was appointed to this post.

The British embassy in Tehran was closed after it was stormed and ransacked by protesters in November 2011.