In a statement, EU Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called for de-escalation in the Middle East after Lieutenant-General Qasem Soleimani was assassinated by the US Army at the President Donald Trump's directive.

Borrell did not give any details about the time of the visit, IRNA said.

He said that he had had a phone call with Zarif about the importance of maintaining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action also on Saturday evening.

The EU official added that he is determined to play his role as the coordinator and will try to keep the signatories of the nuclear deal unified in order to support and fully implement the deal.

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