Zarif to visit China, Russia, EU to discuss future of JCPOA

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif will travel to China, Russia and Europe to discuss the future of the Iran nuclear deal after US president on Tuesday decided to pull out the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“Zarif will start his diplomatic tour on Sunday to discuss the JCPOA. The trip will begin with China, which he will visit on Sunday and Monday, then Zarif will travel to Russia and meet with his counterpart. Then he will go to Brussels to meet with his European counterparts,” an Iranian Foreign Ministry source told Sputnik on Friday.

Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department Director Zamir Kabulov confirmed that Zarif would visit Moscow on Monday.

The office of the European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also announced that the Iranian foreign minister is scheduled to meet his British, French and German counterparts in Brussels on Tuesday.

Mogherini will host the talks between the so-called E3 powers and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the statement said.

Mogherini said shortly after Trump’s announcement on Tuesday that the EU is “determined to preserve” the deal, while EU leaders are set to discuss the issue at a summit in Bulgaria next week.

Britain, France and Germany led a campaign to persuade Trump to stick with the deal negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama.

But the massive diplomatic push ended in failure as Trump – as expected – announced the US was pulling out and reimposing sanctions that had been relaxed in return for Iran limiting its nuclear program.

The EU has said it will work with Russia and China, who also signed the accord, to keep it alive.

Iranians took to the streets across the country to vent their anger at the US over its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and US President Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric against Tehran. Protesters in Tehran and other cities, mostly participants at weekly Friday Prayers, issued a statement in which they reiterated their loyalty to the Islamic Republic and its anti-imperialist ideals.