Iranian FM says to visit North Korea soon

TEHRAN

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Sunday he will visit North Korea soon.

The top Iranian diplomat, however, did not give an exact date for the visit.

Speaking to the official IRNA news agency, Zarif said he was not aware of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s plan to hold meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Zarif is currently on a visit to New York to attend a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

Tension has grown between Tehran and Washington since the latter unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and imposed two rounds of sanctions on the Islamic republic.

Washington has also tightened sanctions on North Korea in an attempt to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.