Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks to the media in Helsinki, Finland, Aug. 19, 2019. (Xinhua/Matti Matikainen)
"Road ahead is difficult. But worth trying," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.
TEHRAN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday expressed Iran's resolution to settle problems with the United States through diplomatic means.
Zarif made the remarks via Twitter following his surprise visit to the French seaside town of Biarritz on Sunday where the 45th Group of Seven (G7) summit is underway.
A journalist is silhouetted on a TV screen at the G7 summit press center in Biarritz, France, Aug. 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
"Iran's active diplomacy in pursuit of constructive engagement continues," Zarif tweeted following meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, on the sidelines of the G7 summit to discuss ways to de-escalate tensions between United States and the Islamic republic.
"Road ahead is difficult. But worth trying," he tweeted.
A man watches the news broadcast on U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal at a teahouse in central Tehran, capital of Iran, on May 8, 2018. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
"Yesterday, there was a substantial discussion between G7 leaders and it is important to now update Zarif in order to keep closing the gap ... on the conditions with which we could de-escalate the tensions and create breathing space for negotiations," said Le Drian, although no details have been released so far about Zarif's talks with the top French officials.
Earlier on the day, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that Zarif visited Biarritz at the official invitation of his French counterpart.
Mousavi stressed that "no meeting or negotiations will be held with the U.S. delegation" during Zarif's trip to the French town.
Macron also said Sunday that "everyone wants to avoid a conflict, and U.S. President Donald Trump was extremely clear on that point."
After his talk with Macron in Paris on Friday, Zarif said France had offered proposals about ways to implement the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Delegates attend a meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna, Austria, on July 28, 2019. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)
Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- plus Germany reached the nuclear deal on July 14, 2015.
However, Trump pulled Washington out of the deal last year and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran. In response, Iran recently dropped parts of its obligations under the deal and has threatened to do more if tensions continue.
