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Osborne says wants to lead trade mission to Iran - FT

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne during the 7th China-UK strategic economic dialogue at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, in Beijing, China, September 21, 2015. REUTERS/Lintao Zhang/Pool

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's second most powerful man, George Osborne, will lead a trade delegation to Iran next year if the Islamic Republic honours a nuclear deal with world powers, the Financial Times reported.

Six world powers agreed in July to lift sanctions in return for Iran accepting long-term curbs on a nuclear programme that the West suspected was aimed at creating a nuclear bomb. Tehran has always denied seeking nuclear arms.

In a signal of how Western ties have thawed with Iran, Britain reopened its embassy in Tehran last month and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said sanctions could start to be lifted as early as spring next year.

"Assuming that Iran honours the nuclear deal, and it’s properly verified, I think there will be growing potential to do business with Iran," the FT quoted Chancellor Osborne as saying.

"Next year I would love to lead a proper, big economic and trade delegation to Iran," he was quoted as saying.

Iran has 9.3 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, the fourth largest after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Canada, and 18.2 percent of the world's natural gas reserves, bigger even that Russia's 17.4 percent share, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Kate Holton)