Zarif Starts Crucial Tour to Save JCPOA

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will head to China, Russia, and Belgium on a crucial diplomatic tour as world leaders scramble to salvage the landmark nuclear deal in the wake of Washington's withdrawal on Tuesday. Zarif will hold talks with Chinese officials on the first leg of his tour Sunday which will take him to Moscow later, IRNA reported. On Tuesday, he will arrive in Brussels for talks with the foreign ministers of E3 (Britain, France and Germany) and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.  Before leaving, Zarif released a statement on his Twitter page, slamming the "extremist administration" of US President Donald Trump for abandoning "an accord recognized as a victory of diplomacy by the international community". It reiterated that Iran was preparing to resume "industrial-scale" uranium enrichment "without any restrictions" unless Europe provided solid guarantees that it could maintain trade ties despite renewed US sanctions.