French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he regretted Iran's announcement that it would exceed the limit of uranium enrichment set under the 2015 nuclear deal.

He added that Paris would still hold talks with Tehran and its partners to avoid any more escalation in the region.

"I regret the Iranian announcements made today, but as the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) has underlined, Iran is respecting its commitments and we strongly encourage it to be patient and responsible," Macron told a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Earlier in the day, Iran said by June 27 it would go over the uranium stockpile limit set under the 2015 nuclear deal, turning the pressure on the U.S. who walked away from the landmark agreement last year.

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said that the move would be reversed "once other parties live up to their commitments."

Macron said there was still a window between now and July 8 to save the Iran nuclear deal.

"All forms of escalation do not go in the right direction and won't help Iran itself and the international community so we will do all we can with our partners to dissuade Iran and find a path to a possible path for dialogue," Macron said.

Last week, the U.S. blamed Iran for the attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, which Tehran has denied.

Macron took a more circumspect line, saying that "only once all the information has been gathered and all the doubts lifted can the attributions (of blame) be made in a certain way."

"I think that in the period that we are entering into, it is useful to show calm," he added.

(Source: Euronews)