Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will begin on Sunday a tour of Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait, Fars news agency reported.
Araghchi’s visit to the Gulf coincides with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s two-day visit to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad after finishing a tour of several Asian countries, including India, China, and Japan.
Last week, the deputy Iranian foreign minister told a German envoy seeking to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran’s patience was over and urged the treaty’s remaining signatories to fulfill their commitments after the United States pulled out.
Tensions have soared between Iran and the United States since Washington sent more military forces to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers, and Patriot missiles, in a show of force against what US officials say are Iranian threats to its troops and interests in the region.
On Wednesday, US officials said the Defense Department was considering a US military request to send about 5,000 additional troops to the Middle East.
