British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt was to visit Iran for the first time on Monday for talks about the nuclear deal.

Hunt’s visit is the first by a Western foreign minister since the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal.

“The Iran nuclear deal remains a vital component of stability in the Middle East by eliminating the threat of a nuclearized Iran,” Hunt said, in a statement issued in London.

“It needs 100-percent compliance though to survive. We will stick to our side of the bargain as long as Iran does.

“But we also need to see an end to destabilizing activity by Iran in the rest of the region if we are going to tackle the root causes of the challenges the region faces.”

Hunt was to meet Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for talks on European efforts to maintain relief from nuclear-related sanctions.

Hunt was also due to discuss the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, and the ongoing cases of detained British-Iranian dual nationals.

Source: AFP