Iran’s president to seek backing for nuclear deal in Austria, Switzerland next month

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will visit Austria and Switzerland next month as part of a campaign by Tehran to secure continued European backing for the 2015 nuclear deal. The visits were announced Monday by the presidencies of both European countries, AP reports. Rouhani will be in Switzerland on July 2-3 and then head on July 4 to Vienna - home of the UN nuclear watchdog the IAEA which monitors Iran’s compliance with the accord. Relations between Tehran and Bern, which represents Iran’s interests in the US, have been deepening in recent years. Vienna also played host to talks that began in June 2013 and led to the signing in July 2015 of the deal between Tehran and world powers.