TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met separately with his counterparts from various countries in New York on Friday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly conference.

He met with foreign ministers of Syria, the Netherlands, Austria, Algeria, Germany, Paraguay, Slovenia, Norway, Venezuela, Oman, India, Sweden, South Korea and Qatar.

In his meeting with Karin Kneissl and Stef Blok, the Austrian and Dutch foreign ministers, Zarif discussed the need to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal after the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement in May.

The Iranian foreign minister discussed the Syrian crisis with Walid Muallem, the Syrian foreign minister.

Zarif said Tehran attaches great importance to settling the Syrian crisis politically.

The annual UN General Assembly started on September 18 and is scheduled to end on October 1.

NA/PA