President Hassan Rouhani will visit Italy next month, his first trip to a European Union capital, and also meet Pope Francis, a diplomatic source said on Wednesday.
The source said the visit would take place Nov. 14-15 and that Rouhani would meet the pope, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and President Sergio Mattarella. The Iranian president is expected in Paris on Nov. 16-18, according to Reuters.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni invited Rouhani to Rome last August during a trip to Tehran.
Several European ministers have visited Tehran since a deal was struck last July to temporarily limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for economic sanctions relief. Iran denies western claims it wanted to develop nuclear weapons.
The United States approved conditional sanctions waivers for Iran on Sunday, though it said they would not take effect until Tehran has acted on the nuclear accord.
