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British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt made his first visit to Iran on Monday for talks on the nuclear deal and the release of British nationals held in Iranian jails.
Hunt met with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, but neither side answered questions from reporters.
It was the first visit by a Western foreign minister to Tehran since the US withdrew the multinational nuclear deal reached in May.
Britain is determined to keep Iran in the deal by finding ways to circumvent the renewal of US sanctions.
"The Iranian nuclear deal remains an essential element of stability in the Middle East by eliminating the threat of a nuclear Iran," Hunt said in a statement released in London.
"To survive, it needs 100% compliance, and we will stick with it as long as Iran does.
"But we must also stop the destabilizing activities of Iran in the rest of the region if we are to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing the region."
Hunt was to discuss Iran's role in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, as well as ongoing cases of dual British and Iranian nationality held.
A notable case is that of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is currently serving a five-year sentence for alleged sedition.
"More than anything, we must see these innocent British and Iranian double nationals imprisoned in Iran return to their families in Britain," he said.
"I have just heard too many heartrending stories of families who have been forced to undergo a terrible separation.
"I therefore arrive in Iran with a clear message to the country's leaders: putting innocent people in jail can not and should not be used as a means of diplomatic pressure."
On the subject of Yemen, Hunt highlighted concerns that Iran has provided ballistic missiles and weapons to Huthi rebels, his ministry said.
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Jeremy Hunt's visit is the first of a Western foreign minister since the withdrawal of the United States from the nuclear deal
