Iran rejects Macron's call for talks on missile issue

Macron, during a visit to Dubai on Thursday, said he was "very concerned" by Tehran's missile programme after Saudi Arabia claimed it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen last month.

Referring to the Saudi claim, the French President had raised the prospect of possible sanctions with regard to those activities.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said its missile programme was defensive and unrelated to the landmark nuclear deal that put a cap on Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.

"France is fully aware of our country's firm position that Iran's defence affairs are not negotiable," said Qassemi ruling out possibility of any talks.

Obama's successor Trump decertified the deal last month and slapped sanctions on Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards. The fate of the deal has fallen on the US Congress which has 60 days to reimpose nuclear sanctions.

"We have told French officials repeatedly that the nuclear deal is not negotiable and other issues will not be allowed to be added to it," Qassemi said, according to a statement on the ministry's website on Sunday.

France has been trying to save the nuclear deal which Iran signed with six world powers - Britain, China, Germany, France, Russia and the United States.

Last month, Macron told Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a phone call that France remained committed to the deal but stressed on the necessity to have a dialogue with Iran on other strategic issues, including Tehran's ballistic missile programme, a proposal ruled out by Iran.

Iran denies the charges and blames the conflict on Riyadh. Tehran says it has no plans to build nuclear-capable missiles and the missile programme is for defence purposes.

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