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DUBAI / LONDON (Reuters) – British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt arrived in Tehran on Monday for the first time since taking office to talk to the Iranian authorities on issues such as the future. of the 2015 nuclear deal, the Iranian media reported.
British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt arrives at Downing Street, London, November 13, 2018. REUTERS / Simon Dawson / Files
In May, US President Donald Trump abandoned the deal negotiated with five other world powers under the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama. The United States also reinstated sanctions targeting Iran's oil, banking and transportation sectors earlier this month.
"He will meet today the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Javad), and the secretary of the Supreme Council of Iranian National Security, Ali Shamkhani," state television said.
Shamkhani is an ally of the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on state, including nuclear.
Hunt's office said in a statement that, when meeting with Zarif, he would emphasize that the UK is committed to the nuclear deal as long as Iran will stick to its terms . It will also address European efforts to maintain the easing of nuclear sanctions.
The other signatories of the agreement, the European Union, France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China, have sought ways to save the pact.
"The Iran nuclear deal remains an essential element of stability in the Middle East by eliminating the threat of a nuclear Iran. To survive, it needs 100% compliance, "Hunt said in a statement before the visit.
Iran has warned that it could cancel the deal if the bloc fails to preserve the economic benefits of the deal against US pressure.
"We will respect our market share as long as Iran does. But we must also see the end of Iran's destabilizing activities in the rest of the region if we are to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing the region, "said Hunt.
As part of the deal, Iran has restricted its controversial nuclear program, widely seen in the West as a disguised effort to develop the means to make atomic bombs, in exchange for the end of international sanctions.
Hunt will also discuss Iran's role in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, his office announced, and pressurize Iran's human rights record, calling for the immediate release of those with double British and Iranian nationals detained on humanitarian grounds.
"I 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," he said.
Reportage of Kylie MacLellan in LONDON and Parisa Hafezi in DUBAI; Edited by Paul Tait
