French President Francois Hollande said Iran’s return to the international scene has been made possible by the recent implementation of the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, and the subsequent termination of anti-Iran sanctions. “It depends only on this great country to succeed,” Hollande said on Wednesday, just days ahead of a visit by President Hassan Rouhani to Paris, the first by an Iranian president in 17 years, which is scheduled for January 27. Hollande said a “de-escalation” of tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia was necessary and France is willing to play a role in this, AFP reported. “We must do everything to work together for stability in the region. It is with this in mind that I will soon visit Egypt, Jordan and Oman,” he said. Tensions ran high between Iran and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks mainly due to Riyadh’s execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, and a subsequent attack by outraged Iranian protesters on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, which resulted in the Arab country’s decision to sever ties with the Islamic Republic.
