French President Francois Hollande urged Iran on Thursday to make "concrete gestures" on its nuclear program before his meeting with Tehran's new leader.

"France expects Iran to make concrete gestures to show that it renounces its military nuclear program, even if it has a right to a civilian program," Hollande told the UN General Assembly.

Hollande will meet later Tuesday with Iran's newly elected President Hassan Rowhani, a reputed moderate who has called for better relations with the West.

"The question at hand is to know if these words can translate into actions, especially on the nuclear issue," Hollande said.

"For the past 10 years talks haven't gone anywhere," he said.

Hollande said that he will "stand firm" against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Rowhani is paying a closely watched visit to the United Nations, which US President Barack Obama is also attending.

Unlike France, the United States has no diplomatic relations with Iran.

The White House has played down the idea of a meeting between Rowhani and Obama, but their top diplomats will hold a historic interaction when they take part together in talks on Iran's nuclear program.