Nuclear energy in Iran

(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday not to threaten the United States or face the consequences, hours after Rouhani told Trump that hostile policies toward Tehran could lead to "the mother of all wars."

Turkey and the United States have kicked off talks on the issue of a new round of sanctions against Iran, as many Turkish companies are prime trade partners with Tehran. Compared to the past, Washington will be more "aggressive" in implementing those measures against Iran, a United States official has said.

Most French companies hoping to continue doing business in Iran after the U.S. imposes new sanctions on the country will find it impossible to do so, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on June 19.

Not so long ago, things were looking up for Iran. The 2015 nuclear deal its government agreed with the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany lifted tough sanctions, allowing for a sharp increase in Iran's oil production. It unlocked billions of dollars in long-frozen assets. European companies arrived in Iran in search of deals. The country's economy began to improve.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is monitoring media reports about Iran's plans to build up its nuclear capacity, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

"We're watching reports that Iran plans to increase its enrichment capacity," Pompeo wrote in a Twitter post on Wednesday. "We won't allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran is aware of our resolve."

French automaker PSA said on June 4 that it would pull out of two joint ventures to sell its cars in Iran to avoid the risk of U.S. sanctions after Washington withdrew from a key nuclear deal with Tehran.

Romania's Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Monday attended a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) held in Brussels that focused on recent developments in Iran and Venezuela, the situation in Congo, and the post-Cotonou framework.

A year after French and Russian presidents Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin met in Versailles in Paris, today the Russian head of state will meet his French counterpart in the Constantinian Palace near St. Petersburg.

Germany's government will help German firms with business in Iran where it can, but cannot entirely shield them from the U.S. decision to quit the Iran nuclear deal and re-impose sanctions against Tehran, the economy minister told a newspaper.

Iran's foreign minister said Tuesday that efforts to save the nuclear deal after the abrupt US withdrawal were "on the right track" as he began talks with European powers in Brussels.