Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that Iran expects nuclear deal to protect the interests of the Iranian nation.

Zarif made the remarks in a meeting with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Didier J.L. Reynders in Brussels on Tuesday.

In the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister elaborated on the latest developments in the occupied territories and the need to prevent continued crimes by the Zionist occupiers.

Iran and Turkey at regional and international levels spared no effort to resolve the issue through diplomatic means, but called the international community to put pressure over the Zionist regime, he added. 

Belgian foreign minister, for his part, said Brussels attaches importance to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and regards it as a globally agreed accord and said the EU is now examining various scenarios to maintain the JCPOA in the absence of the US.

They also exchanged views on latest regional and global developments in their meeting.

Zarif arrived in Brussels on Monday night, after visiting Beijing and Moscow, to confer with his counterparts from the EU, including EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini.

Following unilateral and illegal withdrawal of the US from the JCPOA, Iran's foreign ministry is to continue negotiations in the absence of the US.