Iran rejects France’s proposal for JCPOA renegotiation
Iran has rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to amend the landmark 2015 nuclear deal to cover the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile capabilities.
“We have repeatedly told French officials that the JCPOA (the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) is not negotiable and other issues will not be included in it,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Saturday, Press TV reported.
“France is … completely aware of our country’s stance that Iran’s defensive affairs are not negotiable,” he added.
During his visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, Macron suggested amending the JCPOA.
Later in the day, Macron made a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia, where he said he was “very concerned” about Iran’s ballistic missile program, adding, “There are negotiations we need to start on Iran’s ballistic missiles.”
In an interview with the Time magazine, published on Thursday, Macron also said, “We should negotiate a new series of criteria and a new treaty with Iran to stop their ballistic activities in the region.”
Qassemi said the French president and officials know very well that leveling such accusations against Iran is not in conformity with the realities on the ground in the Middle East in recent decades.
He emphasized that France must persuade its Persian Gulf allies to pursue “wise and unsentimental” policies and approaches.
Qassemi urged France to pursue “realistic, fair and far-sighted” policies on the ongoing developments in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region.
“We expect France not to be swayed by inculcation and false signals sent by certain countries in the Persian Gulf region against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the Iranian spokesperson said.
He called on the French government to adopt “tangible strategies” and compel its allies in the region to put an immediate end to war and bloodshed in Yemen with the purpose of establishing peace and stability in the impoverished country.
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