France says Rouhani re-election strengthens hope of Iran nuclear deal application

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for his re-election on Saturday and said this reinforced the hope his government would apply the international nuclear agreement, his office said in a statement. Macron will ask the French government to work on the intensification of economic, scientific and cultural ties with Iran, the statement said. France also stressed the need to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflicts in the Middle East and called on Iran to adopt this approach. (Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)