Iran is exercising "maximum restraint in spite of the fact the United States withdrew from the JCPOA last May," Zarif said, adding that to save the deal, the international community should exert a real effort to fulfill Iran’s interests of the deal, instead of only commenting and making statements on the situation.
The top diplomat made the remarks upon arrival in China’s capital Beijing early on Friday as part of his multi-state tour on diplomatic consultations.
Zarif is slated to meet senior Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, within the framework of 'bilateral consultations' to expand the scale of mutual cooperation.
He will also discuss regional and international issues, including the nuclear deal and the US' sanctions against Iran.
The China trip comes after Zarif visited Turkmenistan, India and Japan in the past week.
China is one of the five remaining parties to the Iran nuclear deal, in addition to Britain, France, Germany and Russia. It is also a major importer of Iranian crude oil and a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Speaking with reporters on Thursday, the top diplomat said he hopes China will reject the US sanctions.
The sanctions include a ban, imposed last November, on oil purchases from Iran. China is the largest importer of Iranian crude oil. It opposes the decision made by the US to tighten sanctions on Tehran.
After the waivers were eliminated, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the country was partially withdrawing from the 2015 agreement, giving 60 days to other signatories of the deal to fulfill Iran's interests.
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