The sprawling tree-lined site, bordered by high walls, measures 200,000 square metres (49 acres) and houses British diplomats and their families.
[1] The Qajar monarchy gave the land for Gholhak Garden to the British in the 19th century at the height of their imperial power for their ambassador to use as a summer residence.
[2] In 2007, government hardliners in Iran held a conference on Gholhak, arguing that British ownership was acquired illegally during the reign of Rezā Shāh in the 1930s.
[6] Observers suspected that the mayor may have been using the Gholhak dispute to boost his conservative credentials and profile prior to the 2013 Iranian presidential elections.
Earlier in the month, Britain enacted new sanctions against Iran while the Iranian government retaliated by passing legislation to expel the British ambassador.
"[8] In late October 2011, Iranian authorities accused the British of "environmental vandalism" for cutting down and burning over 300 trees in the Gholhak complex.
[6] Britain responded that it had only removed a "small number" of trees that died of "natural causes and become dangerously unstable", as the extension of the nearby Tehran Metro had disrupted the water supply.