British minister in Tehran

A senior British minister is in Iran for five days of talks on the fight against drugs.

The Cabinet Office Minister, Mo Mowlem, is the highest-level British official to visit the country since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

During her visit, she will sign an agreement on cooperation and announce new funding for combatting narcotics.

The visit takes place at a delicate time, with tensions high between hardliners and reformists, and the BBC correspondent in Tehran says the talks have been kept as non-political as possible.

But he adds that the visit is a clear sign that the two sides want to improve relations.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service