Iran: Lawmakers question foreign minister for walking with John Kerry

Iranian parliamentarians summoned and questioned Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for publicly walking with US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the nuclear negotiations.

The two top diplomats were seen strolling in public in Geneva on 14 January alongside the international discussions over Iran's nuclear programme.

The group of Iranian lawmakers have signed a petition calling for an explanation from Zarif, who has been spearheading the Iranian delegation to push for a permanent deal.

Iran and the so-called P5+1 powers – the US, Britain, Russia, China, France, and Germany – are locked in intense negotiations to secure a deal over Tehran's contentious nuclear activities.

The statement read: "Mr Foreign Minister! you are well-versed about the US sabotage attempts in the process of nuclear negotiations and for sure, would not forget their excessive demands during Muscat round of talks; so, no friendly relations would ever been imagined between you and Kerry, let alone walking in the streets of Geneva."

It went on to say: "Why would you not end rather unconventional conduct quite unacceptable by character of an Islamic Republic of Iran's minister? Why would you not advance the higher ideals of the Islamic Revolution with self-less dedication? Why would you meet with French foreign minister when the French magazine cartoons have played with the sensitivities of hundreds of millions of Muslims?"

Zarif, along with the moderate President Hassan Rohani, has been facing intense pressure from domestic right-wingers to push for more demands in the negotiations with the global powers.