Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is due to visit Paris on August 23. During his visit, Zarif will meet with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, as well as with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss current tensions in the Middle East region.
Zarif is currently on a three-nation tour of Scandinavia.
The tour aims to develop a dialogue on regional issues with the Scandinavian nations, which are active players in the Persian Gulf, according to Zarif.
The Iranian top diplomat intends to visit several Asian countries after Scandinavia tour, which takes place ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.
Relations between Washington and Tehran have escalated after the US had unilaterally pulled out from the Iranian nuclear deal and moved to reinstate sanctions targeting the Islamic republic.
The tensions continued to spiral when several tankers were purpotedly attacked in the Persian Gulf, which the US has immediately blamed on Iran. While Tehran has strongly denied any involvement in the attacks, Washington decided to boost its military contingent in the region in response.
Last month, the US floated the idea of creating a naval coalition to patrol the Gulf, in a bid to “ensure the freedom of navigation” in the area.
The move came after the UK-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero was seized by the IRGC in the Gulf over its alleged violation of maritime rules on 19 July. The seizure was preceded by the detention of the Iranian tanker Grace 1 near the Strait of Gibraltar over an alleged breach of EU sanctions.
Source: Sputnik
