paris france foreign minister criticize iran regional ambition say paris could accept tehran military expansion mediterranean accuse russia fail use influence push u.n.-led syrian peace talk curb violence speak interview france television broadcast late tuesday part documentary syrian president bashar al-assad jean-yves le drian say time moscow tehran work u.n. security council end six-year-old conflict syria iranian presence desire make axis mediterranean tehran say le drian say interview syria need exist many arab leaders argue fight islamic state support assad militarily iran project power across iraq syria lebanon create arc regional influence stretch afghan border mediterranean tensions iran france increase recent weeks french president emmanuel macron say tehran less aggressive region clarify ballistic missile program le drian also denounce tehran hegemonic temptations visit saudi arabia last month iran foreign minister monday urge european countries influence u.s. president donald trump confrontational policy towards tehran macron instruction le drian seek take side middle east attempt improve tie russia previous french administration relationship moscow suffer especially syria russia iran staunch ally assad syria iran bring militias support heavily-armed lebanese shi ite group hezbollah le drian say syria must become sovereign state mean country independent pressure presence countries assad side russian president vladimir putin fly syria monday order significant part moscow military contingent start withdraw two meet last week russian city sochi summon assad sochi also tell stop bomb allow aid everyone say refer besiege rebel-held region eastern ghouta paris nuanced approach u.n.-led peace talk geneva say assad departure power pre-condition negotiations however le drian make clear russia enough main actors affair russia iran need use weight lead political solution members security council le drian say repeat assad solution barbaric start process lead new constitution elections u.n. say struggle imagine populations suffer much consider part solution france 's le drian say 'no iran mediterranean axis