European Union senior official Josep Borrell was set to visit Iran on Monday, officials in Tehran and Brussels said, marking his first official trip in the country since he took office.
Borrell's visit will also underscore Europe's aim to address issues on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and ease frictions between the two regions.
The top European diplomat was also scheduled to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and parliamentary representative Ali Larijani on his two-day visit, his office disclosed in a statement.
The 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and an organization of heads of states has deteriorated since US President Donald Trump and his administration backed out of the deal in 2018, and the White House has since ramped up its economic pressure against Tehran.
The nuclear accord signed in Austria between Iran and the five permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council -- Britain, France, China, United States and Russia -- including Germany, offered Iran a partial reprieve from the destabilizing effects of economic sanctions.
Iran has since reneged on its own efforts to fully comply with the agreement, while geopolitical tensions with the US have brought the two countries to the edge of a full-scale military showdown in recent weeks.
The EU and member states filed a complaint mechanism in January to compel Iran to abide by its recent commitments in the nuclear deal, a move that Iranian officials sharply criticized for condoning the US infringement and pressuring the aggrieved party.
In a report by the Associated Press, Borrell was quoted as saying that all parties have re-asserted their commitments to preserve the deal, "which is in everyone's interest."
Included in the structure of the 2015 nuclear accord with six world leaders, Tehran agreed to substantially cut down its nuclear activity in exchange for the suspension of the US-led sanctions.
But Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement and its reimplementation of crippling sanctions has taken a huge toll on Iran's economy and prompted its authorities to announce a host of measures outside of its commitments under the agreement.
Borrell's visit aims to alleviate tensions and "seek opportunities for political solutions" to the current crisis, the office of the Union's top emissary for foreign relations disclosed.
The mission will also allow the EU envoy to convey Europe's commitment to preserve the nuclear deal, formally referred to as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and to discuss partnerships between Iran and the EU, Borrell's office stated.
