Iran foreign minister makes surprise visit to G7

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif flew into Biarritz in southwestern France for the G7 summit yesterday in an unexpected and dramatic attempt to break a diplomatic deadlock over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme. Zarif’s presence had not been announced and represented a risky attempt by French host Emmanuel Macron to find a way to soothe spiralling tensions between Iran and the United States.

He was not expected to hold face-to-face talks with US President Donald Trump, but the presence of the two men in the same place sparked hopes of a detente. Zarif will “continue talks regarding the recent measures between the presidents of Iran and France,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi tweeted, after flight tracking sites spotted that Zarif’s plane had landed in Biarritz. The French presidency confirmed his arrival, but emphasised no talks were planned with the American side.

A French diplomat also suggested -- without confirming -- that Trump had been made aware of the arrival during an impromptu two-hour lunch with Macron on a hotel terrace on Saturday. “We work with full transparency with the Americans,” the diplomat told reporters on condition of anonymity. Also speaking in Biarritz, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that Trump had in the past said that if Iran “wants to sit down and negotiate he will not set preconditions.”