Iran's Foreign Minister flies to G-7 summit, says no plan to meet Trump

Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Sunday made a surprising entry at the G-7 summit being held in the southwestern city of Biarritz, following French President Emmanuel Macron's efforts to defuse tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Macron, the host of this year's G-7 summit, is leading efforts to mediate between the US and Iran after the Trump Administration pulled out of the internationally-brokered 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions against Tehran, Al Jazeera reported.

Macron met Zarif for rare talks in Paris on Friday on the eve of the summit. He has also held telephonic talks with Iran President Hassan Rouh.

In a Twitter post, Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said Zarif will "continue talks regarding the recent measures between the presidents of Iran and France" during his surprise visit to Biarritz.

But "there will be no talks with the US delegation on this trip," the spokesperson added.

Earlier on Sunday, the local media had quoted Macron as saying that the G-7 leaders had agreed on "what we wanted to say jointly on Iran."

However, Trump, who has pushed a maximum pressure policy on Iran, pushed back.

Asked if he had signed off on a statement that Macron intends to give on behalf of G-7 on Iran, Trump said: "I haven't discussed this. No, I haven't."

"We'll do our own outreach, but, you know, I can't stop people from talking. If they want to talk, they can talk," he added.

Macron later appeared to say that there was no formal mandate from the G-7 leaders.

"Yesterday, we had a discussion from which two priorities emerged. First of all, no member of the G-7 wants Iran to ever get a nuclear weapon. Second, all members of the G-7 are deeply committed to stability and peace in the region and therefore want to avoid actions that could compromise that," he said.

"The G-7 is an informal group. There is no formal mandate given to anyone in this context. We will each continue to take initiatives to reach our two goals, that's what's important. The outcome of yesterday's discussions is that we will continue to act, each in their own way," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )