French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday held talks in
Paris with a senior Iranian envoy, as
France presses for diplomacy to overcome an upsurge in tensions with the Islamic Republic.
Tensions have soared in the Gulf in the last weeks as
Iran ramped up its controversial nuclear programme following the US pullout from a 2015 deal on Iran's atomic drive signed by world powers in Vienna.
Le Drian told the French parliament he had met Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who Iranian media said brought an unspecified message from President Hassan Rouhani for French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.