French President Emmanuel Macron and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed the release of French prisoners held by the regime and the future of Iran's nuclear program on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, as they both revealed in posts to X/Twitter.
"First and foremost, I reiterated my demand," Macron's post read. "State hostages arbitrarily detained in Iran under inhumane conditions — must be released immediately. France never abandons its children."
Macron went on to reaffirm France's stance that "Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons," and that due to Iran's failure to comply with its existing obligations on the matter, France, alongside the UK and Germany, has decided to reimpose sanctions on the country.
"An agreement remains possible. Only a few hours are left. It is up to Iran to respond to the legitimate conditions we have set," Macron concluded. "For the security of the region, for the stability of the world."
Pezeshkian acknowledged the meeting with Macron, noting their "candid and detailed conversation" where a "solution that addresses Europe's concerns while safeguarding Iran's interests was clearly articulated."
He echoed Macron's optimistic note, stating that should the terms presented in the meeting be met, "a definitive solution is within reach."
"We also agreed on resolving the issue of prisoners on both sides," his post ended.
No intention to build nuclear weapons
Iran has no intention to build nuclear weapons, Pezeshkian told the UNGA on Wednesday, days before international sanctions could be reimposed upon Iran by the UK, Germany, and France.
"I hereby declare once more before this assembly that Iran has never sought and will never seek to build a nuclear bomb. We do not seek nuclear weapons," Pezeshkian said.
He accused the European countries of deciding to reimpose the sanctions "under the orders of the United States" in a post to X/Twitter late Wednesday afternoon.
Reuters contributed to this report.