PARIS (Reuters) - France's foreign ministry told a senior Iranian envoy on a visit to Paris on Tuesday that Tehran had to return to compliance to the nuclear deal and take the necessary steps to ensure the de-escalation of tensions in the Gulf.

Iran's deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Macron has tried, but struggled, to initiate a mediation between Tehran and Washington over tensions in the region.

"(This meeting) served to remind the Iranian president's envoy that we expect Iran to return quickly in accordance with its commitments under the Vienna Agreement and to take the necessary steps to engage in an essential de-escalation," the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

Araghchi was the chief Iranian negotiator for the 2015 nuclear pact under which Iran agreed to curtail its atomic programme in return for relief from economic sanctions.

(Reporting by John Irish; Writing by Mathieu Rosemamin; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

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