French President Emmanuel Macron told his Iranian counterpart that an improvement in bilateral relations could only happen if there was an immediate release of three French nationals held in Iran.
"The President of the Republic stressed the need to obtain without delay the release of the three French nationals arbitrarily held hostage in Iranian prisons for two years in undignified conditions, an imperative prerequisite for any improvement in bilateral relations with France," the French presidency said in a statement.
Macron had earlier met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.