FILE PHOTO: A combination of file photos showing French President Emmanuel Macron attending a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 23, 2017, and Iran President Hassan Rouhani looking on at the Campidoglio palace in Rome, Italy, January 25, 2016. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/Alessandro Bianchi/File Photos

BELGRADE, July 15 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he would speak to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump this week as part of a French initiative to prevent an escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

“The momentum we built over the last few weeks has, I think, prevented the worst from happening and overreactions on the Iranian side,” Macron told a joint press conference with his Serbian counterpart.

“In these difficult conditions, we will continue our mediation and negotiation work,” he added.

Macron also said he had yet to receive any “valid clarification” from Iranian authorities over the detention in Iran of Franco-Iranian dual national Fariba Adelkhah.


(Reporting by Michel Rose in Paris and Ivana Sekularac in Belgrade Editing by Geert De Clercq)