TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif traveled to France and the Netherlands on June 20-24 as part of his increasingly intense engagement with Europe, which will probably continue in the year remaining of President Hassan Rouhani’s current term.
Prior to his visits to France and the Netherlands — Zarif’s third such tour of Europe since taking office in August 2013 — the Iranian foreign minister visited Italy, Poland, Finland, Sweden and Latvia. But what are the reasons for Zarif’s intensified engagement with Europe?