A visit to Iran by Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini which was to have taken place last week will be rescheduled for a future date, a statement from the Iranian foreign ministry said on Monday.
Frattini cancelled his long-sought after visit to Tehran after a last-minute Iranian switch of venue to a missile site, where a new medium-range missile, capable of reaching Israel, had just been test-launched.
The planned visit is part of Rome's efforts aimed at getting Tehran to help stabilise Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Iranian foreign ministry said that it was waiting for the arrival of an Italian delegation to reorganise Frattini's visit.
The ministry said it could not confirm whether the visit would be before or after Iran's June 12 presidential elections but it is expected before the regional conference Italy is organising in Trieste at the end of June, at which representatives from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan are slated to attend.
In its statement on Monday, the Iran foreign ministry expressed its hope that Italy ''which has such a great civilization, does not allow itself to be influenced by others''.
European Union but EU government have avoided individual visits because of Tehran's refusal to halt its uranium-enrichment programme in line with United Nations resolutions.
