France has urged Tehran today to stick with the landmark nuclear accord at risk of falling apart, the day after Washington killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad. <br />'' <br />'' French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he had discussed the issue with his Chinese and German colleagues. He expressed hope to avoid escalation of an already intense stand-off between Iran and the United States.<br />'' <br />'' The 2015 agreement negotiated between Iran and Britain, France, China, Russia, the US along with Germany. They offered Tehran relief from stinging sanctions in return for curbs to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. <br />'' <br />'' US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal last year and reimposed even more sanctions on Iran. <br />'' <br />'' Tehran recently announced that it would take a further step away from the accord in early January and this was widely expected to be announced on Monday.<br />''