German foreign minister will seek direct talks with Iran - newspaper

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will seek direct talks with Iran to try to de-escalate tensions after a U.S. air strike killed Iran's military commander Qassem Soleimani, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

"In the coming days, we will do all we can to counteract a further escalation of the situation - in the United Nations, the EU and in dialogue with our partners in the region, including in talks with Iran," Maas told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

Maas told the paper he was in close contact with his British and French counterparts, with the European Union's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.