A file photo of French President Francois Hollande (L) shakes hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani upon his arrival on January 28, 2016 at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris
France plans to double the number of visas it issues to Iranians, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Monday in Tehran, at a time when US travel curbs have angered Iran.
"France wants to be able to allow a larger number of Iranians wishing to travel to France to ask for a visa in improved conditions," the French minister said at the start of a visit to the Islamic republic.
"This project, which aims to double the number of visas currently issued for Iran, should take effect in the summer of 2017," he said at the French ambassador's residence in Tehran.
France has been issuing 41,000 visas a year to Iranian nationals.
Iran's foreign ministry said on Saturday it will ban Americans from entering the country in response to President Donald Trump's "insulting" order restricting arrivals from Iran and six other mostly Muslim countries.
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