Head of Foreign Policy Strategic Council Kamal Kharrazi said Wed. that Vatican foreign minister and prime minister have voiced full support for the preservation of Iran nuclear deal after the US unilateral pullout from the agreement.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Vatican Prime Minister, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Iranian official Kamal Kharrazi said Vatican supports the JCPOA and calls on the European countries to stay in the agreement and safeguard Iran’s interests.

“We are hoping that the European sides could provide solid guarantees for the preservation of the nuclear deal, and give Tehran a reason to stay in the agreement,” Kharrazi said.

He further added that Vatican can play an important role in putting a stop to the current atrocities taking place in the region, “such as Israel’s crimes against Palestinians, or the savage airstrikes by Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates in Yemen.”

Wrapping up his two-day visit to Italy, Kharrazi will next depart for Madrid to confer on a range of bilateral issues with the new Spanish administration.