The Embassy of Iraq in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

is the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was opened at its current site in 2012, having been closed since 2003 with the start of the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

. The

Kurdistan Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) ( ku, حکوومەتی هەرێمی کوردستان, ''Hikûmetî Herêmî Kurdistan'') is the official executive body of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the m ...

in also maintains an office at 2 Hobart Place,

Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of both the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dang ...

. Iraq also maintains a Consular Section at 3

Elvaston Place Elvaston Place is a street in South Kensington, London. Elvaston Place runs west to east from Gloucester Road to Queen's Gate. The Embassy of Gabon, London is at number 27. The High Commission of Mauritius, London is at number 32/33. The Embassy ...

South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...

, a Military Attaché Office at 48 Gunnersbury Avenue,

Gunnersbury Gunnersbury is an area of West London, England. Toponymy The name "Gunnersbury" means "Manor house of a woman called Gunnhildr", and is from an old Scandinavian personal name + Middle English -''bury'', manor or manor house. Development Gunne ...

, a Cultural Attaché's Office at 14–15 Child's Place,

Earl's Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

and a Commercial Attaché Office at 20

Queen's Gate Queen's Gate is a street in South Kensington, London, England. It runs south from Kensington Gardens' Queen's Gate (the edge of which gardens are here followed by Kensington Road) to Old Brompton Road, intersecting Cromwell Road. The street ...

, London, adjacent to the main embassy building. The Commercial Attaché Office was previously located at 7–10 Leadenhall Street, London, the freehold of which is still held by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although the property has remained vacant since the relocation. Whilst preparing for the re-opening of the embassy in 2005 Iraqi diplomats found numerous guns, ammunition and surveillance equipment hidden in the embassy. It is assumed that these were left over from Iraqi agents during the

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...

-era. Iraqi agents had been implicated in several attempted assassinations in the capital during the 1970s–1980s, including the assassination of former Iraqi Prime Minister

Abd ar-Razzaq an-Naif Abd ar-Razzaq Said al-Naif ( ar, عبد الرزاق النايف; 1934 – 10 July 1978) was an Iraqi military officer and general and was briefly Prime Minister of Iraq during 1968 until he was deposed. Early life General Al-naif graduated fro ...

in 1978.

Gallery

File:Embassy_of_Iraq_in_London_2.jpg, Plaque outside the embassy in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

depicting the

Coat of arms of Iraq The Emblem of Iraq since Baath's coups d'état features a golden black eagle looking towards the viewer's left dexter. The eagle is the Eagle of Saladin associated with 20th-century pan-Arabism, bearing a shield of the Iraqi flag, and holding ...

References

External links

Official site
{{Diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom

Diplomatic missions of Iraq Iraq–United Kingdom relations Buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea South Kensington