- Iran's foreign minister, making the rounds of European capitals to seek benefits from a nuclear accord, is holding a string of meetings in Paris which he hopes can maintain the momentum toward change, the Associated Press reports.
Mohammad Javad Zarif meets Wednesday, June 22 with President Francois Hollande and is paying visits to France's foreign and finance ministries.
France has been a leader in reaching out to a post-sanctions Iran, announcing a bevy of potential business deals during a visit by President Hassan Rouhani soon after the international nuclear accord with Iran was implemented in January.
The deal gave Iran relief from decades of crippling sanctions in exchange for curbing its nuclear program. But capitalizing on it has been slow going, as Western businesses and the banking sector remain wary of investing in the unknown, AP says.
Zarif arrived in Paris on Tuesday as Boeing announced what could become the biggest deal between Iran and an American company since the 1979 revolution — a multibillion-dollar agreement of intent to buy aircraft. France-based Airbus announced a similar transaction in January.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was expected to use his meeting with Zarif to push forward with the momentum from the nuclear accord.
France also wants to use bilateral ties to encourage Iran into an international role, and coax Tehran out of its policy as an active supporter of Syria's Bashar Assad.
