Iran in Europe to shop N-deal
ZURICH, June 18, (RTRS): Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will visit neutral European neighbours Switzerland and Austria next month, the Swiss and Austrian governments said, on a trip overshadowed by the looming imposition of US economic sanctions on Tehran.
President Donald Trump in May pulled the United States out of an international nuclear deal with Iran and said he would reimpose harsh sanctions on Tehran, upsetting European allies who have scrambled to preserve ties.
Switzerland, which is not a member of the European Union, represents the interests of the United States and Saudi Arabia in Iran and of Iran in Saudi Arabia. Mainly Shi’ite Muslim Iran and Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia are rivals in the Middle East.
Iranian television said officials and business executives would accompany Rouhani on the trip, during which several cultural, economic and political agreements would be signed.
The Swiss government said Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif would attend meetings on July 2 and 3 with four Swiss cabinet members, including President Alain Berset.
“Discussions will focus on the latest developments regarding the Iran nuclear agreement,” it added. “The aim is to find ways of preserving the progress made as a result of the agreement and of ensuring the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region despite the decision of the USA to withdraw from it.”