France wants to submit a resolution critical of Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA / IAEO). In the joint declaration, the European signatory states to the Iran nuclear deal, France, Germany and Great Britain, want to express their “serious concern” at the fact that Iran is only allowing limited inspections of its nuclear facilities. It is a reaction to Tehran's no to resume dialogue with the United States.
Image: APA (AFP)
The Iranian decision “will cause us to protest within the framework of the Board of Governors” of the IAEA in the coming days, said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, thereby confirming information from diplomatic circles.
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a telephone conversation on Tuesday to “make clear gestures” that he would fulfill his obligations “immediately”. During the conversation, the French President expressed “his deep concern” to his Iranian colleague about the decisions that Iran had taken “in violation of the Vienna Agreement,” said the Elysée Palace.
The announced resolution could lead to the premature end of an interim solution with which IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi narrowly prevented even more severe cuts in the monitoring of the Iranian nuclear program around a week ago. The Iranian government had threatened to “terminate” the interim agreement with the IAEA if such a resolution was adopted.
On Tuesday, Iran again warned against taking such a step. Government spokesman Ali Rabii said adoption of the resolution could jeopardize efforts to bail out the 2015 nuclear deal. At the same time, Rabii assured that the Iranian leadership would remain interested in a coordinated solution.
The five UN veto powers USA, France, Great Britain, Russia and China as well as Germany concluded the nuclear agreement with Iran in June 2015 after years of negotiations. It is supposed to prevent the Islamic Republic from building nuclear weapons. However, the former US President Donald Trump terminated the agreement in 2018 and had new sanctions imposed on Iran, under which the country's economy is suffering massively. Since then, Tehran has gradually withdrawn from its obligations under the agreement.
Trump's successor Joe Biden wants to revive the deal, but demands that Tehran comply with the deal before the sanctions are lifted. Iran, on the other hand, is making the lifting of US punitive measures a prerequisite for the country's full compliance with the agreement.
