Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reiterated his country's defense policy on Tuesday, declaring that the Islamic republic will continue to build its defensive capabilities despite the "unconstructive behavior of U.S. sanctions."

According to the Iranian foreign ministry, Amir-Abdollahian had a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, during which he emphasized that defense programs are the sovereign right of any country.

"Heedless of unconstructive behavior of U.S. sanctioning, we will continue to increase our country's defense capability," he said.

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Iran urges removal of sanctions before upcoming Vienna talks

Iran seeks a pragmatic and result-oriented approach in the upcoming nuclear talks, the Iranian foreign minister said, alluding to the resumption of talks on the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which are set to begin on November 29 in Vienna, Austria. 

Iran is looking for "a good agreement," but this requires conditions, including the return to the undertakings by other sides and "effective lifting" of anti-Iran sanctions, he said. 

Amir-Abdollahian also referred to the recent new U.S. sanctions against Iran, calling the move another reason for Iran's continued "distrust" of the United States. 

He stressed there is a need for the United States to "provide guarantees" not to impose further sanctions by violating a possible agreement and "an effective verification" of removal of imposed sanctions. 

The Iranian foreign minister also urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to avoid "politicizing" Iran's nuclear program, stressing that his country will continue its technical cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. 

For his part, Le Drian announced his country's support for the commitments of all parties to the JCPOA, saying that Paris will do everything in its capacity to that end. 

He also expressed the hope that the forthcoming talks in Vienna would progress rapidly. 

Additionally, both sides announced readiness to expand relations in various fields.