LONDON (AP) — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has become the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the new American embassy in London, a building that President Donald Trump derided for its cost and location.
Opening a nearly weeklong trip to Europe on Monday amid a government shutdown back home, Tillerson went to the embassy to greet U.S. ambassador to Britain Robert Wood Johnson. A planned meeting with embassy staffers was cancelled due to the shutdown.
The new embassy became a point of strain in U.S.-British relations earlier this month when Trump said he had cancelled plans to visit Britain and formally open the billion-dollar London facility in February because it cost too much and was in a less desirable location than the old embassy.
In a tweet that reverberated across the Atlantic, Trump lambasted the Obama administration for moving the embassy from London's posh Mayfair district. His explanation was met by skepticism from many who noted Trump's possible visit was a source of controversy in Britain with some politicians saying he was not welcome and should not come.
The decision to move the embassy was made by President George W. Bush's administration in 2008 after it determined the old facility in Grosvenor Square had uncorrectable security issues. The new embassy was constructed with the proceeds from sales of U.S. government properties and leases in London. The new embassy, in the former industrial area of Nine Elms on the south side of the River Thames, opened its doors on Jan. 16.
After visiting the embassy, Tillerson, on his eighth trip to Europe since becoming secretary of state a year ago, was meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May, her national security adviser Mark Sedwill and foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
In Europe, Iran is expected to dominate Tillerson's talks in Britain and France, the first two stops, before he heads to Switzerland and Poland.
Tillerson is seeking British and French support for tough new penalties against Iran that could prevent a U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.
Britain and France are parties to the 2015 Iran deal that President Donald Trump has warned he will walk away from this spring unless fixes are made to his liking.
A senior U.S. official said Tillerson's intent is "to close the gaps" in the accord that gave Iran billions in sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program, and to explore more ways to counter Iranian behavior in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss Tillerson's plans, and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
Earlier this month, Trump pledged to stop waiving U.S. sanctions unless the Europeans agreed to strengthen its terms by consenting to a side deal that would effectively eliminate provisions that allow Iran to gradually resume some advanced atomic work. Trump also wants tighter restrictions on Iran's ballistic missile program.
Iran has rejected any renegotiation. Britain, France and the other European party to the accord, Germany, have expressed some willingness to work with the U.S. to prevent the pact's collapse by discussing measures that would supplement its conditions.
A U.S. withdrawal probably would scrap the agreement — a chief foreign policy achievement for President Barack Obama — by reimposing a broad range of sanctions that isolate Iran from the international financial system. Iran has said it will no longer be bound by the terms of the deal if that happens.
