France to pursue efforts to bring Iran to comply with nuclear deal

PARIS: France will continue efforts to bring Iran into full compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal, French defence minister Florence Parly said, adding that US and European moves to strengthen security in the Gulf must be "complementary and well coordinated".

"We can only confirm our goal, which is to bring Iran to fully respect the Vienna deal," Parly told a news conference on Saturday with US Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Paris.

"We must do everything we can to contribute to ease tensions with Iran and to ensure navigation safety," she added.

France has ruled out joining a US-led coalition of countries protecting oil tankers and cargo ships from threats posed by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, but has pushed for a European alternative.