TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone with his British counterpart Yvette Cooper on Friday (Dec 20), Iranian state media said, marking a rare instance of direct contact between Tehran and London amid strained relations.
Iran’s foreign ministry said the two ministers “stressed the need to continue consultations at various levels to strengthen mutual understanding and pursue issues of mutual interest”.
A UK government source said Cooper emphasised the importance of a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear programme and raised a number of other concerns during the call.
Among them was the case of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple detained in Iran for nearly a year on suspicion of espionage, the source said. The Iranian foreign ministry statement did not mention the couple.
NUCLEAR TENSIONS AND SANCTIONS
According to the Iranian account of the call, Araghchi criticised what he described as the “irresponsible approach” of three European countries towards Iran’s nuclear issue, referring to Britain, France and Germany.
At the end of September, the three countries moved to trigger the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, a step Tehran has strongly condemned.
Western powers have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies, insisting its programme is for peaceful purposes.
