Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends the unveiling ceremony for Bavar-373 system in Tehran.

:: President Hassan Rouhani spoke with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron Saturday, warning him Iran would take the next step in reducing its nuclear commitments unless Europe lives up to its own undertakings.

Tensions have spiked in the Gulf since May last year when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers – known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Ships have been attacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized in the Gulf in recent months.

Macron has been leading efforts to de-escalate the situation and he expressed hopes of bringing together Rouhani and Trump for a meeting during a G7 summit days ago.

But Rouhani has downplayed the likelihood of that happening unless the United States first lifts crippling sanctions that it has slapped on Iran since pulling out of the deal.

“If Europe cannot operationalize its commitments, Iran will take its third step to reduce its JCPOA commitments,” Rouhani reportedly told Macron in the phone call.

However, “this step, just like the other ones, will be reversible,” he added, quoted on the Iranian government’s website.

“Unfortunately after this unilateral move by the US, European countries did not take concrete measures to implement their commitments,” he continued.

“The contents of JCPOA are unchangeable and all parties must be committed to its contents,” he said.