UK minister holds talks in Iran in first visit since U.S. quit nuclear deal
DUBAI (Reuters) - A junior British minister held talks with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran on Saturday, Iran’s television reported, the first visit by a UK minister since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
FILE PHOTO - An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, January 15, 2016. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
Britain and other European signatories are trying to keep the nuclear deal alive, despite Trump’s reimposition of sanctions on Tehran.
Junior Foreign Minister Alistair Burt met Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the state television reported
“The talks mainly covered economic cooperation and mechanisms of financial and monetary dealings between the two countries after the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear accord,” the television report said.
The two sides also discussed regional developments, it added.
In a statement before his visit, Burt said: “As long as Iran meets its commitments under the deal, we remain committed to it as we believe it is the best way to ensure a safe, secure future for the region.”
Burt was also expected to discuss the cases of dual nationals detained in Iran.
Britain is seeking the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation who was arrested in April 2016 at a Tehran airport as she headed back to Britain with her daughter, now aged four, after a family visit.
She was convicted of plotting to overthrow Iran’s clerical establishment, a charge denied by her family and the Foundation, a charity organization that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News.
Burt is due to meet non-governmental organizations (NGOs) during his two-day visit when he will also discuss Iran’s role in conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
Reporting by Dubai newsroom
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