Foreign Ministers of Iran and the United Kingdom in Rare Direct Contact

(Patria) - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone with his British counterpart Yvette Cooper, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Saturday, in a rare instance of direct contact between the two countries, AFP reported.

The ministry stated that the ministers in a phone call on Friday "emphasized the need to continue consultations at various levels to strengthen mutual understanding and resolve issues of mutual interest".

A source from the British government said that Cooper "emphasized the need for a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program and raised a number of other issues".

A source in London said that Cooper raised the case of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, a British couple detained in Iran for almost a year on suspicion of espionage.

The Iranian ministry's statement did not mention the case of these Britons.

It is stated that Araghchi criticized the "irresponsible approach of the three European countries towards the Iranian nuclear issue", referring to the UK, France, and Germany.

The three countries initiated the re-imposition of United Nations sanctions against Iran in late September due to its nuclear program.

The Foremans, both in their early fifties, were arrested in January while passing through Kerman, in central Iran, during a motorcycle trip around the world.

Iran accuses the couple of entering the country pretending to be tourists to gather information for foreign intelligence services, which the couple's family denies.

Before Friday's call, the last conversation between the two ministers was in October.