The foreign minister met British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss bilateral ties and exchange views on the latest regional and international developments.
Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the importance of the meeting between President Hassan Rouhani and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday on the margins of the UN summit.
He briefed Hammond on details of the Thursday crush in Mecca during the Hajj pilgrimage which resulted in a huge loss of lives.
The two sides also talked about the mounting crisis in Syria and emphasized the need for humanitarian aid to the affected people.
In a separate meeting, Zarif and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called for exchange of business delegations between the two states to help expand economic relations.
On Iran's initiative to put an end to the war in Syria, Zarif said the plan envisages formation of a national unity government as well as modification of the political system in the Arab country, urging French cooperation to help accomplish the objective.
Zarif also met Karl Erjavec, Slovenia's foreign minister, who offered sympathy over the death of Iranian pilgrims in the crush disaster. Furthermore, he congratulated Iran on the conclusion of the July 14 nuclear deal with major powers.
Expressing his country's willingness to reopen its embassy in Tehran, Erjavec noted that due to the Slovenians' interest in getting into Iran's lucrative market, the European state intends to help the Slovenia-Iran Chamber of Commerce become more active.
In another meeting, the top Iranian diplomat and his Croatian counterpart Vesna Pusic exchanged views on the role European countries can play in settling the migrant crisis, triggered by the lingering conflict in Syria.
Zarif reiterated, "Setting any illogical preconditions for forming a transitional government in Syria can prolong restoration of peace to the region."
The foreign minister also held meetings with his other European counterparts on Tuesday, including Macedonia's Nikola Poposki, Poland's Grzegorz Schetyna, Norway's Borge Brende and Greece's Nikolaos Kotzias.
