"Iran and France have a long history of bilateral ties, and despite the ups and downs in recent years, we hope we would move towards more serious and stronger relations from now on," Zarif said in a joint press conference with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius in Tehran.
He also referred to the long history of Tehran-Paris cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, saying that it would pave the way for France to have a broader role in Iran's nuclear industry once again.
"We had good talks today on pursuing (the promotion of) our bilateral ties," the Iranian top diplomat said, adding that "once the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) takes effect, the grounds will be ready for further cooperation in different fields including energy, transportation, and car manufacturing, where the two countries have traditionally had extensive relations."
His remarks came two weeks after Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) reached a conclusion over the text of a comprehensive 159-page deal on Iran's nuclear energy program.
The comprehensive nuclear deal between Iran and the six powers (dubbed as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) would terminate all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran after coming into force.