Paris (AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday received the head of Iranian diplomacy, before talks at the summit this weekend with Donald Trump, to try to save the Iran nuclear deal.

The meeting, scheduled in the morning, will allow to "propose things" in an attempt to bring Teheran to the respect of the agreement, already weakened by the American withdrawal, explained the head of the State, which also evoked the question with his American counterpart this week during a phone interview.

This explosive issue, which threatens to ignite the Middle East, will then be on the table of leaders of the G7, the club of the seven most industrialized countries, which opens Saturday in Biarritz in southwestern France.

"We must have a summit discussion on how we handle the Iranian issue, we have real disagreements in the G7," said the French president, referring to the maximum pressure policy exerted by the US president on Tehran.

Concluded in 2015 between Iran and the 5 + 1 group (United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom, France and Germany), the agreement had allowed the lifting of part of the sanctions in exchange for the commitment Iran to not acquire nuclear weapons.

But Donald Trump came out with a crash in May 2018 and has since reinstated heavy sanctions that strangle the Iranian economy.

In response to US withdrawal and the inability of Europeans to help it get around the sanctions, Tehran stopped in July to honor some of its commitments under the deal.

- "Find common ground" -

Paris is seeking sanctions relief for Iranian oil in return for Iran's return to full compliance with the agreement and further talks with Tehran on its ballistic agenda and regional influence.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reported on Thursday, on the eve of his talks, "points of agreement" with Emmanuel Macron.

"President Macron has contacted President (Iranian) Hassan Rohani with various proposals and President Rohani has asked me to meet President Macron to see if we can finalize some of these proposals to allow everyone to fulfill of its obligations under the JCPOA "(the nuclear deal), said Mohammad Javad Zarif, visiting Oslo.

"This is an opportunity to review President Macron's proposal and to present President Rohani's point of view, and see if we can find common ground." We already have points of agreement. he added.

The French president, who leads the European efforts to preserve the agreement, has increased exchanges with Hassan Rohani and Donald Trump and sent in July his diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne in Tehran.

To the point of drawing the wrath of the American president. "I know that Emmanuel wants to do well, like all the others, but nobody speaks for the United States except the United States themselves," tweeted the White House tenant on August 8.

- "Fateful moment" -

While heightened diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Tehran, Donald Trump also increased his calls for dialogue, including during the escalation of tensions in the Gulf, where several tankers were arrested and an American drone shot down by the US. 'Iran.

The Iranian diplomat said he was recently invited to meet the US president at the White House, which he said he refused.

But the United States also imposed sanctions on August 1 against Mr. Zarif, further emphasizing their campaign of "maximum pressure" on the Iranian regime they accuse of destabilizing the Middle East.

"We are at a fateful moment," warns Emmanuel Macron, noting that the Iranians are "building a JCPOA exit strategy" that is detrimental to the region and that the US strategy is equally risky.

Iran has threatened to free itself from other obligations if the parties to the agreement still fail to help it bypass sanctions, including selling its oil.

© 2019 AFP