France Pushes for Tougher Terms in Iran Talks

France wants to take part in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and will not support lifting UN sanctions unless it is satisfied with the terms of a final agreement, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Friday.

“France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, so as was the case 10 years ago, France will have to give its approval for the sanctions to be lifted”, Barrot said.

He added that lasting stability in the region would require any agreement to address not only Iran’s nuclear activities, but also its ballistic missile programme and support for proxy groups across the Middle East.

Under the new framework agreement between the United States and Iran, negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme are due to take place over the next 60 days. Any final deal would require approval by the UN Security Council.

European powers remain concerned that the US negotiating team could accept terms that fail to impose sufficiently robust restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme, potentially creating the conditions for future disputes.

France, Britain and Germany are therefore seeking a more active role in the talks after months on the sidelines.

The three countries first opened negotiations with Iran in 2003 and later worked alongside the Obama administration to secure the 2015 nuclear agreement. Donald Trump withdrew the United States from that deal during his first term in office and repeatedly criticized its provisions.

(reuters, max)