Pope to host Iran President Rouhani at Vatican

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will visit Pope Francis on November 14, the Vatican announced on Thursday in the latest sign of relatively warm relations between the Holy See and the Islamic Republic.

Rouhani will call at the Vatican as part of an official trip to Italy, which has led European attempts to rebuild trade and investment ties with Tehran following the July nuclear deal.

Pope Francis received the Iranian vice-president for family affairs Sahindokht Molaverdi in February and has been a prominent backer of the nuclear accord as a significant step towards stability in the region.