TEHRAN — In a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed various issues, including bilateral relations and the Vienna talks intended to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

The conversation took place before Iran and the remaining parties to the nuclear deal (France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia) resume nuclear deal talks in Vienna on November 29.

At the beginning of the conversation, the French foreign minister inquired about the health condition of his Iranian counterpart diagnosed with Covid-19 and wished him speedy recovery.

Iran’s top diplomat thanked the French foreign minister for his greetings and noted that the Iranian government seeks a pragmatic and result-oriented approach both in bilateral relations and nuclear talks, and expressed hope that the Tehran-Paris consultations would help advance cooperation between the two countries. 

Amir Abdollahian stated that Iran and France have great potential, noting that Iran is ready to expand bilateral relations based on mutual respect and common interests, and that relations can be expanded in various fields.

In this context, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and the opportunity for cooperation, referring to the two phone calls between the presidents of Iran and France, as well as the talks between Amir Abdollahian and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the Baghdad meeting on August 28 and the recent face-to-face meeting of the two foreign ministers in New York on September 25.

Recalling the U.S. responsibility for the current situation surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the official name for the nuclear deal) and the silence of the three European countries in U.S. extravagance, Amir Abdollahian stated that Iran wants to reach a good agreement, but this requires conditions, including return of the other parties to their full commitments and the effective lifting of sanctions.

Referring to the recent U.S. sanctions against Iran, Amir Abdollahian called the move a confirmation of Iran’s continued distrust of the United States and stressed the need to provide assurances and to conduct an effective verification.

Iran’s chief diplomat also described the Islamic Republic’s defense program as a sovereign right and added that regardless of the unconstructive behavior of U.S. sanctions, Iran will continue to increase its defense power resolutely.

Noting that Iran is serious for fruitful nuclear negotiations and is ready to reach a good agreement immediately, Amir Abdollahian stressed that the International Atomic Energy Agency should avoid politicization of the Iran nuclear case, and emphasized Iran's continued technical cooperation with the IAEA.

The French foreign minister also said that Paris supports a return of all parties to the JCPOA and will do everything in its power to do so, and expressed hope that the forthcoming talks in Vienna will progress rapidly.

In the Tuesday call, Macron also sent his greetings to the Iranian president and the reciprocal response was reflected through the foreign ministers.

Also on Tuesday, talks were held between the two countries at the level of deputy foreign ministers for political affairs in Paris. The talks focused on regional and international issues.