In a message for his French counterpart on Saturday, Rouhani congratulated France’s government and nation on Bastille Day, the national day of France which is celebrated on July 14.

In the congratulatory message for Emmanuel Macron, president Hassan Rouhani expressed hope that ties between Iran and France would grow in light of mutual understanding and joint efforts and reach to a closer level than before.

Rouhani also called for the employment of the existing political and economic capacities to deepen friendship and promote welfare for the people of the two countries.

Bastille Day is the French national holiday, which marks the storming of the Bastille in the 1700s and the beginning of republican democracy and the end of tyrannical rule.

In the 18th century, France was in a deep economic and political crisis and people were unhappy with King Louis XVI’s reign, which was dominated by food shortages and high taxes.

The Bastille was a medieval fortress and prison, which held many political dissidents, and had become a symbol of oppression and injustice in Paris.