Prince Charles wants to visit Iran: Paper

Britain’s Prince Charles plans to visit Iran for the first official royal trip in more than 40 years, The Sunday Times reports.

British government and royal officials are in talks with Iranian authorities about arranging a tour around the fall, the paper quoted a royal source as saying.

According to Press TV, the report said “It is hoped that Prince Charles’ trip will help to boost trade and commercial links between the two countries, as well as marking a significant change in Anglo-Iranian relations.”

Britain is viewed with much cynicism because of its colonial past in Iran where the sobriquet “old fox” is widely used as a reference to the UK.

In a litany of intrigues played on Iran, including a role in 1953 coup against the country’s first democratically-elected government, Britain was seen as the real power behind the “peacock throne” of a succession of pliant shahs.

Philip Hammond became the first British foreign secretary to visit Iran for more than a decade in August last year and reopened the country’s embassy in Tehran.

The visit came after Iran reached an international agreement on its nuclear program, leading to the lifting of sanctions on the country.

A spokesman at Prince Charles’ Clarence House office said he was “very keen to visit Iran,” but the tour was not confirmed yet.

“He hopes he would be able to use his role as a diplomat to further encourage the relationship and dialogue between the two countries,” the spokesman said.

According to The Sunday Times, Prince Charles hopes to meet President Hassan Rouhani and Iranian business leaders, as well as visiting ancient cities such as Isfahan and Shiraz should the trip go ahead.

ME