QOM, Nov. 12 (MNA) � Iranian FM Zarif arrived in Qom this morning and held talks with several senior religious figures on JCPOA and Syria peace talks, among other topics.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, after paying his respects to the Holy Shrine of Hazrat Masoumeh (SA), held meetings with several prominent religious scholars and authorities in Qom on Thursday.

Zarif first held talks with Grand Ayatollahs Nasser Makarem Shirazi and Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani.

He is also scheduled to meet with Grand Ayatollahs Hossein Nouri Hamedani, and Seyyed Abdul Karim Mousavi Ardebili.

The Iranian top diplomat said the aims of his visit to Qom were to present a report to the senior religious scholars and receive their opinions on advancing the Islamic Republic�s foreign policies in regard to the latest developments in the JCPOA, the Syrian peace talks and regional situation, the process of pursuing the Mina tragedy and the condition of the incident�s missing pilgrims.

�Today, we are in a situation where the Muslim�world is in need of a cultural and scientific countermeasure to the threats of extremist and Takfiri terrorist groups. Qom as the cultural capital of the Islamic world can contribute a lot to the discourse stemmed from Islam�s highly valued teachings in the fight against extremism,� said Zarif.

The meetings between Zarif and religious figures in Qom will be held in private and without the presence of the reporters.

By Mehr News Agency