France says will keep talking to European, US allies on JCPOA

The file photo shows the building of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

France has stressed the importance of the strict implementation of the multilateral nuclear agreement, saying it would hold more talks with its European and US allies on the Iranian nuclear program.

The French foreign ministry on Monday reaffirmed the country's commitment to the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, including France, in 2015.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

"The French position on the Iran nuclear deal is known. As the President of the Republic (Emmanuel Macron) has said, we reaffirm our full attachment to the global action plan and its strict implementation," the ministry said in an online media briefing.

It added, "We will continue to talk about the Iran nuclear program with our European and American partners."

Macron on January 13 stressed the importance of maintaining the nuclear accord during a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"The president spoke of the importance of preserving the Iran nuclear deal, and the necessity for all parties to the agreement to respect the commitments they made," said a statement released by the Elysee Palace.

The French president has earlier told his US counterpart that all the signatories to the Iran nuclear deal should respect the terms of the agreement.

In a phone conversation with Trump, Macron reaffirmed France's determination to see "the strict application of the deal and the importance of all the signatories to respect it," the Elysee Palace said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly described the JCPOA, which was negotiated under his predecessor, Barack Obama, as “the worst and most one-sided transaction Washington has ever entered into,” a characterization he often used during his presidential campaign, and threatened to tear it up.

Trump on January 12 reluctantly agreed to waive sanctions against Iran that were lifted as part of the landmark deal, but said it would be the last time he issued such a waiver unless conditions were met.

The US president said he wanted America's European allies to use the 120-day period before sanctions relief again came up for renewal to agree to tougher measures and new conditions, otherwise Washington would pull out of the deal.

However, shock leaked White House documents reported that Trump appears to have backed down over his threat to tear up the nuclear deal.

The leaked papers appear to indicate the US president would be happy if Washington's European allies simply promised to try to improve the JCPOA.

The proposal was outlined in a US State Department cable obtained by Reuters, saying Washington is hoping to convince its European allies -- Britain, France and Germany -- to improve the Iran nuclear deal over time in return for Trump keeping the pact alive by renewing US sanctions relief in May.


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