PARIS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday urged Iran to put "necessary pressure" on the Syrian government to halt military actions in the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta.
Macron made his remarks during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rohani, according to a statement released by the French presidency.
Macron said France expected "a constructive contribution by Iran to regional de-escalation and the resolution of crises in the Middle East", said the statement.
On Sunday, the Syrian forces were targeting the rebel-held areas in Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus out of the designated times of the daily ceasefire in that area.
The military operations in Eastern Ghouta in the eastern countryside of Damascus came as a response to the rebels' mortar attacks and sniper fire on civilian areas in Damascus and its countryside, the Syrian authorities said in the statement.
The statement also claimed that preparations were underway for the delivery of food aid to the civilians in Eastern Ghouta. Syria's national TV said Sunday that the rebels in the capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta area were "collapsing".
Macron also reiterated his support of the 2015 deal to limit Iran's nuclear activities, signed by Tehran and six world powers, according to the statement.
