Emmanuel Macron (centre) smiles as he walks with his advisors to attend a plenary meeting in Biarritz. AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that G7 leaders had agreed joint action on Iran with the aim of defusing tensions and opening a new negotiation with Tehran.

"We agreed on what we wanted to say jointly on Iran," Macron told LCI television. There is a message from the G7 on our objectives and the fact that we share them is important, which avoids divisions that in the end weaken everybody."

Boris Johnson (left), Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Giuseppe Conte and Donald Tuska in Biarritz, France.

"Everyone wants to avoid a conflict, Donald Trump was extremely clear on that point."

The source said the priority remained to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons and defuse tensions in the Gulf.

"As president of the G7, the president did indeed get the power to discuss and send a message to Iranian authorities on the basis of the exchanges we had last night," the French official said, without providing any details.

European leaders have struggled to tamp down the brewing confrontation between Iran and the United States since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled his country out of Iran's internationally-brokered 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on the Iranian economy.

Tehran has responded with a series of moves, including retreating from some of its commitments to limit its nuclear activity made under the deal. With the accord on the brink of collapse, Macron said he wanted the summit to yield a clearer strategy on how to avoid a further deterioration in the region.

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) chats with US President Donald Trump at the Biarritz lighthouse. AFP

Macron, who has led mediation efforts, met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday with the aim of discussing proposals that could ease the crisis, including the idea of reducing some U.S. sanctions or providing Iran with an economic compensation mechanism.

He was supposed to discuss those ideas with Trump on the sidelines of the G7, which also comprises Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and the EU.

The United States has made no indication it will ease any sanctions and it is unclear what kind of compensation mechanism Macron was referring to.

Macron said that in return for any concessions he would expect Iran to comply fully with the nuclear deal and for Iran to engage in new negotiations that would include its ballistic missile programme and regional activities.

French officials have declined to discuss the details of the talks with Iran or the United States.

Reuters