TEHRAN (Tasnim) – German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel has called off his trip to Iran due to illness, media reports said.

A German government official said on Sunday that Gabriel, who was expected to co-chair an economic conference with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran, has fallen ill and therefore cannot travel to Iran, Reuters reported.

The government official did not give further details on Gabriel's illness. No new date for a visit had been fixed, the official said.

Iran's Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Ali Tayyebnia and his German counterpart had planned to co-chair an economic conference in Tehran May 2-3.

German companies saw the event as a potential catalyst for doubling exports to Iran to 5 billion euros in the wake of a lasting nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on July 14, 2015 reached a conclusion over the text of a comprehensive 159-page deal on Tehran’s nuclear program and started implementing it on January 16.

The comprehensive nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has terminated all the nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran.

By Tasnim News Agency