Foreign minister of Iran and three European parties to meet on January 11

The European Union will hold talks between foreign minister of Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom in Brussels on January 11. The foreign ministers will focus on preserving Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.

"The EU High Representative Federica Mogherini will convene a meeting with ministers of foreign affairs of E3 countries - France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, and the UK Boris Johnson - and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Thursday 11 January in Brussels," the bloc said in a statement.

"The meeting will take place in the context of the ongoing work to ensure a full and continued implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," the statement added.

The meeting between Mohammad Javad Zarif and the three European comes against a backdrop of high political tension in Iran following recent protests which claimed 21 lives, though Zarif has dismissed the idea the unrest would be on the agenda, AFP reported.