TEHRAN – Presidential chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi said on Wednesday that the presence of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is very important for the Rouhani administration, Mehr reported.

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet session, Vaezi also said very few people in Tehran and Damascus knew about President Bashar al Assad’s visit to Iran beforehand.

He also denied his role in Zarif’s resignation, which was attributed to not knowing about Assad’s visit, saying he himself was not aware of the trip until President Assad showed up at the office of President Rouhani.

MH/PA