Mohammad Javad Zarif

Iraqi leaders have warned of the risks of war during a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, whose country is locked in a tense standoff with the United States.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on May 25 that the U.S. decision to deploy more troops to the Middle East in response to the perceived threat from Iran was "extremely dangerous" for peace.

The U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran with a message in Twitter.

"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again," Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

The US president's message comes in response to statements by Iranian representatives that Tehran does not want war but is not afraid of war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on May 18 he did not believe a war would break out in the region as Tehran did not want a conflict and no country had the "illusion it could confront Iran", the state news agency IRNA reported.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif waded into the mounting row between Turkey and the United States on Aug 11, accusing Washington of an "addiction to sanctions and bullying."

A preliminary tripartite meeting among the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey is expected to be held in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, next week to discuss the deteriorating situation in Syria, as well as to set the agenda for a summit on Syria by leaders of the three countries in April, radio Voice of America reports. 

The Russian, Iranian and Turkish foreign ministers will meet in Kazakhstan in two weeks to prepare the ground for an upcoming summit in Istanbul on Syria, Russia’s TASS news agency cited Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying on Feb. 19.

Russia is watching with alarm the attempts of the United States to implement its plans for sharing Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the opening of a conference at the international discussion club "Valday", quoted by TASS.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Feb. 18 extended his condolences to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif by phone, following a deadly passenger plane crash, according to the foreign ministry.

Iran will remain an eternal friend of Kurds despite their recent vote to split from Iraq, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in New York on Wednesday.