The Louvre has opened a show in Tehran billed as the first large-scale exhibition by a major western museum in the country, as French cultural diplomacy thrives despite tensions between Iran and Europe over the nuclear deal. The Louvre has been at the heart of the French government’s cultural outreach. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, last year opened the new Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, an ally of Tehran’s regional arch enemy, Saudi Arabia. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jean-Luc Martinez, the president of the Louvre, speaks at the opening ceremony at the national museum. Zarif made clear to Le Drian that Tehran would not entertain such discussions, and accused Europe of appeasing Trump.

Source: The Guardian March 06, 2018 16:30 UTC