French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said his country did not need any permission to make a stand on Iran.
This came in response to US President Donald Trump's remarks on Thursday that French President Emmanuel Macron has no right to speak to Iran on behalf of the United States.
France expresses its position with full sovereignty towards Iran and is strongly committed to peace and security in the region, he said, adding that Paris "strongly requests Iran to resume compliance with its obligations."
The minister stressed that Paris is committed to the nuclear agreement with Iran signed in 2015, saying that the rising tensions in the Gulf "require political initiatives to restore the conditions of dialogue."
He said Macron's diplomacy was "fully transparent with our partners" and he kept the US informed, noting that his country was "honest" when it signed the nuclear deal, as well as for other signatories except the United States.
On Thursday, Trump criticized his French counterpart for sending "contradictory signals" to Iran, stressing that "no one but the United States speaks for it."
"Iran has serious financial problems. They are desperate to talk to the United States, but they get contradictory signals from all those who claim to represent us, including President Macron," Trump said in a tweet on Twitter.
On Tuesday, the Middle East Monitor website quoted "two sources who requested anonymity" that Macron invited his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani to attend the upcoming G7 summit in Biarritz, France, on August 24-26, which could be an opportunity to meet the US president. Refusal. The Elysée Palace officially denied such an offer.
In parallel with the intensification of economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Tehran, the US president has recently repeated calls for dialogue. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said he had received an invitation to visit the White House and meet Trump, saying he had rejected it.
Macron, who defends the nuclear deal with Tehran from which the United States withdrew, has been in regular contact with his Iranian counterpart. He does not hide his hope to play the role of mediator.