Iran says France's `biased' stance threatens regional stability

Iran accused France of fuelling tension in the Middle East by taking a "biased" stance on Tehran's regional policy, state TV reported on Friday.

"It seems that France has a biased view towards the ongoing crises and humanitarian catastrophes in the Middle East ... this view fuels regional conflicts, whether intentionally or unintentionally," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday that France was worried about Iran's involvement in the Middle East crisis and the country's disputed ballistic missile programme.

Iran has repeatedly rejected France's call for talks on its missile programme, saying it was defensive and unrelated to a nuclear agreement with world powers in 2015.

Paris suggested that new European Union sanctions against Iran may be discussed over its missile tests. But EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini seemed to dismiss that idea on Tuesday, keen to avoid risks to the hard-won deal that curbed Iran's nuclear activity.    (Reuters)

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