The story: Iran’s new conservative President Ebrahim Raisi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have spoken for an hour on the phone. In their first conversation since Raisi’s inauguration on Aug. 5, the two leaders addressed a range of issues—including the 2015 nuclear deal inked by Iran and world powers. While Macron expressed hopes for a new round of diplomatic talks on the revival of the accord, Raisi remained ambiguous—albeit without rejecting such aspirations.

The coverage: Speaking on Aug. 9, the French president reportedly told Raisi that “we are looking for a solution and we hope that the [nuclear] talks will start soon"...