Iran foreign minister was not informed about Assad trip to Tehran - spokesman

GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was not informed about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s trip to Tehran last week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation, the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported on Tuesday.

The news agency cited foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi as the source of the information in its report.

President Hassan Rouhani rejected Zarif’s resignation last Wednesday, bolstering a moderate ally who has long been targeted by hardliners in factional struggles over the 2015 nuclear deal with the West.

(Reporting By Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Robert Birsel)