French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna looks on during a news conference with Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira ( not pictured ) at Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Adriano Machado
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna informed her American counterpart Anthony Blinken that there needs to be a stronger “international response” to the threat presented by Iran’s ballistic missile development, the French Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
According to the French Foreign Ministry, Colonna and Blinken spoke on the phone on Thursday and covered a wide range of subjects, including Iran and Ukraine.
“The minister mentioned Iran’s destabilizing activities and the increasing threat posed by the increase of its ballistic missiles arsenal, the proliferation of missiles including towards non-state actors (…) and the need to strengthen the international response to this threat,” said the ministry, regarding Colonna’s talks with Blinken.
They also discussed the need for Iran to fully co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which said last week Tehran was inconsistent in meeting its nuclear obligations.
Colonna and Blinken also reiterated their “full support” to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia almost a year ago, and discussed the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.