DUBAI, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Anwar Gargash, United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, on Friday hailed the recent remarks of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Iran's ballistic missile program as "very important."
Le Drian said on Thursday that Iran "cannot avoid" talks on issues like its ballistic missile program or its role in the Middle East conflicts, if it wants Europe to stick to the landmark nuclear deal, better known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Gargash said on Twitter that the French foreign minister's statement "points to the Iranian dossier's orientation away from verbal bidding, and the problem remains not only in the techniques but in the nature of the Iranian regime."
Following the U.S. withdrawal from JCPOA in May, Iran has called on the European countries not to follow the United States and stay in the deal.
The UAE has welcomed the U.S. hawkish stance on Iran, blaming the Islamic Republic of meddling in pan-Arab affairs and supporting the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The UAE is part of a Saudi-led Arab military coalition in Yemen which has been fighting the Iran-backed Shiite Houthis since March 2015 to support the internationally-recognized government led by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
