IRNA – France's embassy in Tehran in a Twitter message on Saturday expressed regret over the re-imposition of anti-Iran sanctions by Washington, saying, 'JCPOA is a key element of the nuclear non-proliferation architecture.'

One day ahead of the second round of US unilateral sanctions against Iran, France's embassy in Tehran said, 'We are deeply sorry over the return of sanctions following Washington's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.'

Along the same lines, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on his Twitter account emphasized Europe's commitment to maintain the landmark deal.

He expressed support for European companies which continue legitimate trade with Iran and encouraged Iran to comply with all its obligations.

US President Donald Trump announced in early May that Washington would pull out of Iran nuclear deal and reinstate sanctions which were lifted under the accord.

The first round of the sanctions snapped back into place in August, with the second round which will aim the energy and oil sector taking effect on November 5.

This is while other signatories to the deal (i.e. Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia) have thus far criticized Washington's unilateral move and have repeatedly stressed their commitment to the deal.