French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a news conference on the second day of a European Union (EU) African Union (AU) summit at The European Council Building in Brussels, Belgium February 18, 2022. (Photo: John Thys/Pool via REUTERS)

In a phone call that lasted an hour and a half, Macron expressed his conviction that talks had come to a solution respectful of all parties' interests and said Iran should seize the opportunity to preserve the Vienna deal and avoid a major crisis, according to a French presidency statement.

Signed by China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the UK and the US, the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, but the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed heavy economic sanctions.