Iran's Javad Zarif to visit European nations amid flaring tensions with US

Iranian Foreign minister Javad Zarif is set to visit several European countries next week, country’s Tasnim news ncy reported on September 9. His visit comes amid flaring rift with US which has t only pointe at Tehran's ‘illegal’ nuclear weapons but questioned its siding with enemies. Last month, Washington mounted pressure on UN Security Council for return of pre-2015 nuclear deal sanctions against Iran.

Amid all this, Zarif’s imminent visit aims at securing help from European powers to black new initiatives from US against Islamic republic. During his visit, leader is reported to visit UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, most powerful players in bloc.

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Tensions rise between France-Iran 

Tehran enjoys a cordial relation with Paris, however, a satirical cartoon published by a French magazine heated matters recently. On September 8, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that republishing of caricatures appearing to mock Prophet Muhammad by  French satirical magazine was “unforgivable sin”. Releasing official statement on Twitter, Iran’s supreme leader also took a dig on “some French politicians” who are using “excuse” of ‘freedom of expression’ to t criticise “grave crime” of insulting Holy Prophet of Islam.

Khamenei said that t condemning decision of weekly satirical Charlie Hebdo is “completely unacceptable”. Just this week, magazine had republished caricatures of Prophet Muhammad that made many Islam extremists furious. One of cartoons appeared to show Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban and decision to reprint se graphics was deunced by Iran. 

Khamenei’s remarks came after France’s President Emmanuel Macron said last week that French satirical weekly had t broken any law by republishing cartoons. magazine had reposted cartoons to mark opening of trial of 14 Islamist gunmen accused of helping attack on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish store in 2015 began on September 2. 

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Read: Iran's Khamenei Condemns French Magazine's Republishing Of Cartoons On Muhammad

 Im credits: AP