Kerry to meet Iranian foreign minister

Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in New York on Tuesday to discuss implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, American and Iranian officials told Reuters on Monday.
"Yes, they'll meet tomorrow in New York," a US official said.
Iran and six major world powers clinched the nuclear agreement in July 2015, allowing for the easing of some sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union and United Nations in return for Tehran putting long-term curbs on its nuclear programme.
Tehran has complained it has been unable to secure access to the global financial system despite the lifting of sanctions. It has called on the United States to do more to remove obstacles to the banking sector.
Current US policy bars foreign banks from clearing dollar-based transactions with Iran through US banks. But US officials have said the Obama administration is considering ways in which non-US companies can use the dollar in some business transactions with Iran.
Meanwhile, Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, urged Obama to "definitively" rule out any sanctions workaround that might provide Iran direct or indirect access to the US financial system or dollar.
"Instead of helping the regime get richer, the administration should hold it accountable for its continued ballistic missile tests, egregious human rights violations and support for terrorism," the Republican congressional leader said in his strongest statement yet on the issue.
US lawmakers, mostly Republicans who opposed last year's Iran nuclear deal, have expressed deep concern about recent reports that the administration might let Iran use the dollar in some business transactions.
Ryan said he was concerned there were "at least four workarounds" that would allow Iran access to the US currency, including dollar-denominated transactions, dollar-clearing, dollar-based conversions and dollar-related foreign currency transactions.
Some lawmakers have introduced legislation that would prohibit Obama from issuing any license for conducting an offshore US dollar clearing system for Iranian transactions or providing any such system with US dollars.
They also want to impose secondary sanctions on any financial institution found to be participating in any offshore dollar clearing system with Iran.
Meanwhile, South Korean President Park Geun-hye office said that the South Korean leader will make a state visit to Iran from May 1 to 3 to meet President Hassan Rouhani and initiate discussions with Iran on a wide range of areas including energy and engineering.
Park's visit will be the first by a South Korean leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1962 and her office said it hoped the visit would help deepen ties after sanctions on Iran were lifted.
South Korea, the world's fifth-largest crude importer, is one of the largest buyers of Iranian oil. Its import of Iranian crude surged 81 per cent in March from the same month a year earlier, after sanctions were lifted.