Iran has accused France of being a destabilising force in the region after its foreign minister threatened new sanctions against Tehran over its missile programme. "The Islamic republic has always called for the strengthening of peace and stability in the region," the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement released overnight Friday.

As such Iran "considers the mass sales of sophisticated and offensive weapons by... France as a factor in destabilising the balance of the region," the statement said. It came after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday said Paris was ready to impose new sanctions on Tehran if talks fail to make progress.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019