UNITED NATIONS — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met behind closed doors Tuesday following Iranian complaints that the United States isn’t fulfilling last year’s landmark nuclear deal and providing adequate sanctions relief.
The two ministers shook hands before the meeting at U.N. headquarters started with Kerry standing in front of the Iranian flag and Zarif before the American flag — where small signs on the floor signaled they should stand. Kerry greeted the media but neither he nor Zarif made any comments.
Zarif said Saturday that he would ask the United States to ease restrictions on non-American banks doing business with the Islamic Republic, saying it would help reassure Iranians over the nuclear deal. He said the U.S. “is required to implement its commitments in banking cooperation.”
A day earlier, the head of Iran’s central bank, Valiollah Seif, accused the U.S. and the European Union of failing to honor the nuclear agreement by keeping Iran locked out of the international financial system.