FM Underscores Iran’s Regional Influence


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hailed the country as a heavyweight of the regional states, saying considerable potential now exists in Iran which cannot be ignored by foreign states.

“Very good potential has been created in the Islamic Republic of Iran in different fields, particularly in human and economic fields, which are quite remarkable in the region, and such potential could not be ignored,” Zarif said in a meeting with Chairman of the Oireachtas (Irish National Parliament) Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee Pat Breen, here in Tehran on Saturday.

The Iranian minister also touched on the bilateral relations between Tehran and Dublin, and added, “There are suitable grounds for expansion of cooperation between the two countries.”

He further noted that the increasing number of visits to Iran by various European parliamentary delegations is a sign of “willingness of both sides in the current political atmosphere to expand their relations.”

Breen, for his part, described the purpose of the Irish team’s visit to Iran as “enhancement of bilateral relations” between the two countries, and expressed the hope that Tehran-Dublin ties would flourish.

The Irish delegates, led by Breen, had earlier met the Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and also held a meeting with Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission.

The visit came after several European parliamentary delegations, including a British parliamentary delegation, visited Iran during the past few weeks.