TEHRAN – Accepting invitations extended by his Swiss and Austrian counterparts, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran will travel to those two European countries in late June, amid continued uncertainty over the future of the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers.

Rouhani will have a two-day visit to Swiss capital city of Berne, accepting the invitation issued by Swiss President Alain Berset, Parviz Esmaili, the communications director of the presidential office, said on Monday.

“Meeting with Swiss president, receiving Iranian expatriates in Switzerland, and signing cooperation pacts and agreements in political, economic, and cultural areas are among the main objectives of President Rouhani’s visit,” Esmaili stated.

Rohani’s planned European trip comes after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States out of the nuclear deal, also referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and moved to reinstate economic sanctions against Tehran.

The other parties to the JCPOA -- Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany -- said they remain committed to the deal so long as Iran is honoring it.

Tehran earlier this month announced it had launched the process of increasing its capacity to enrich uranium in case the accord that curbed its nuclear program collapses.

Rouhani is scheduled to stay in Switzerland on July 2-3 and have talks with Switzerland’s President Alain Berset and other officials, the Swiss government said.

Discussions will focus on the latest developments regarding the JCPOA to “find ways of preserving the progress made as a result of the agreement and of ensuring the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region,” it said in a statement, dpa reported.

It said the sides would also address the situation in the Middle East.

Rouhani will also visit Vienna to meet with his Austrian counterpart as well as Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

Austria would “support EU efforts to save the nuclear agreement with Iran,” the dpa news agency quoted a source in the presidential office as saying.

The Austrian capital is home to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN body that monitors Iran's compliance with the Iran nuclear deal.

It also played host to the negotiations that led to the signing in July 2015 of the nuclear accord.

MH/PA