German Foreign Minister to visit Iran to 'save' nuke deal

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will visit Iran next week to hold talks on the landmark nuclear deal and other regional issues, amid brewing tensions between the US and Iran.

Maas is expected to visit Tehran on June 10 and will meet top leaders of the Iranian leadership, his spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said.

"You know our position, we are trying to keep the nuclear deal alive because we believe that it's a good agreement," Anadolu News Agency quoted her as saying.

Maas is scheduled to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif and other senior officials.

Ties between the US and Iran soured after Washington pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) last year.

Following this, the US slapped a multitude of sanctions on Iran, citing the latter's support to state-sponsored terrorism and conflicts.

On the other hand, Iran partially withdrew from the landmark deal which meant that Tehran would stop exporting enriched uranium stocks as against what was stipulated as per the 2015 agreement.

Iran warned that the remaining signatories -- the UK, France, Germany, China, and Russia -- had 60 days before it would resume high-level enrichment of uranium.

The historic 2015 deal between Iran and world powers including the European Union and the US, offered sanctions relief to Iran for scaling back its nuclear programme.

The US has remained rooted to its stand, saying it would continue to "impose maximum pressure" against Iran till the regime gives up its "destabilising ambitions" of expanding its nuclear programme.

Washington also recently announced that no fresh sanction waivers will be issued for Iranian oil imports to eight countries, including India.