UK chief diplomat Jeremy Hunt to visit Iran Monday

This is the first visit of Jeremy Hunt to Tehran since he assumed office as the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in July.

During his visit to Tehran, Hunt will meet and hold talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The two top diplomats held a telephone conversation on Nov. 5, discussing bilateral ties and the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the JCPOA, in the face of US withdrawal from the agreement and re-imposition of sanctions.

During the telephone talks, Hunt emphasized the commitment of Britain, as well as other signatories of the JCPOA, to the nuclear agreement and called for preparation and immediate implementation of the EU’s financial mechanism to continue economic cooperation with Iran.

In a joint statement released on Nov. 2 and signed by EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, as well as foreign ministers of the the three European signatories to the JCPOA, including Hunt, the parties voiced commitment to working on the preservation and maintenance of effective financial channels with Iran, and the continuation of Iran’s export of oil and gas.

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