On a visit to Beijing, Zarif said he would talk with Chinese officials about “bilateral ties and the very dangerous issues that are ongoing in our region today”, according to a video published on the Iranian foreign ministry website.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

Amid escalating tensions in the region, Zarif has called on the international community to save the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

“So far the international community has mostly released statements rather than taking action,” Zarif said.

“If the international community and other JCPOA member countries and our friends in the JCPOA like China and Russia want to keep this achievement, it is required that they make sure the Iranian people enjoy the benefits of the JCPOA with concrete actions,” he added.

Meanwhile on Thursday in Tokyo, Zarif rules out any prospect of negotiation with the United States, calling the Washington regime a “bully” trying to force all others into acting illegally.

Zarif made the remarks to the Japanese media on Thursday during a visit to the country.

“No, there is no possibility for negotiations,” Zarif said, when asked about whether he would be open to holding bilateral talks aimed at easing tensions between Tehran and Washington.

“This is the first time in history that a bully is telling everybody else, important countries, that ‘I’m going to punish you if you observe something that I do not like,” he stated.

“Let us assume that a bully is standing in a cross section on the street and telling everybody, ‘If you don’t pass the red light, I’m going to beat you.’ This is exactly what the U.S. is telling them,” he exemplified.

Meanwhile Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during meeting with Zarif said the Iran nuclear deal is an important achievement which should be preserved.

The Japanese premier also described Iran’s role in ensuring stability and security in the region as very significant and positive.

He said Toyo is set to maintain and further enhance its age-old relations with Tehran.

In addition to the Iran nuclear deal, key regional and international issues also came up for discussion during the talks.

Earlier in the day, Zarif also discussed the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono.

The two sides conferred on the latest developments regarding the Iran nuclear deal, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s legal measures to counter the US government’s breach of commitments under the agreement and violations of law, and the Europeans’ failure to take proper action with regards to the implementation of the nuclear deal.

During the talks, FM Zarif elaborated on the Islamic Republic’s stance on those issues.

The two sides also discussed different dimensions of mutual ties as well as key regional and international issues.

The two top diplomats further recalled historical Iran-Japan relations and underlined the necessity of further promoting reciprocal ties and continuing consultations between political officials of both countries.