TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif warned that the Middle East region is currently in a very critical situation.



 Zarif’s warning came during a joint press conference with his New Zealander counterpart in Tehran on Sunday following their meeting in which the two sides discussed resumption of banking cooperation.


The New Zealander Foreign Minister Murray Stuart McCully welcomed his serious negotiations on common issues with his Iranian counterpart, and hailed Tehran’s constructive role in Iran-P5+1 negotiations.

Iran and six world powers (also known as P5+1 or E3+3) wrapped up their latest meeting this Friday in Vienna, Austria. The five-day talks in Vienna were aimed at drafting a comprehensive deal on Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

McCully stressed that Iran’s nuclear negotiations are important to New Zealand despite the fact that New Zealand has been located in the South of the Pacific Ocean.

The New Zealander minister also noted that during his meeting with Zarif, they explored avenues for boosting economic and international cooperation between the two countries.

New Zealand has had an embassy in Tehran since April 1975, making it the country’s longest-standing mission in the Middle East.