Iran's Foreign Ministry Summons French Ambassador to Tehran
The new French ambassador to Tehran was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry over tweets by the country's ambassador to the United States about the possibility of the return of nuclear sanctions on Iran after the JCPOA in 2025.
Philippe Thiebaud, the French ambassador who recently began his work in Iran, was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, April 14, after presenting his credentials to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in connection with tweets published by the French ambassador to the United States.
Gerard Araud, the French ambassador to the United States, wrote on Twitter on Saturday, April 13: "It is wrong to say that at the end of the JCPOA period, Iran will be allowed to enrich uranium."
Iran and six world powers reached an agreement in 2015 to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions against the country. The agreement has been in place for 10 years in some cases and 15 years in others.
However, US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the JCPOA last year, saying that one of the shortcomings of the nuclear deal with Iran is that the restrictions placed on Iran's nuclear program will expire after a while.
In his tweets, the French ambassador to the United States, while raising the issue of enrichment, added that nuclear sanctions against Iran could be reimposed.
In response to Gerard Araud's tweets, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on Twitter that if the French ambassador's recent tweets are the position of the French government, then "we are facing a serious violation of the purpose and intent of the JCPOA and (Security Council) Resolution 2231. Paris must immediately clarify or we will respond proportionately."
The summoning of the new French ambassador to Iran to the Foreign Ministry also follows Iran's protest to France regarding Iran's right to enrich uranium after 2025.
According to Iranian media reports, the Iranian side told the French ambassador that the tweets of the French ambassador in Washington "are not acceptable in any way, and if the aforementioned statements are approved by the French government and express the official positions of this country, this would be in clear opposition to the goals and provisions of the JCPOA. If this issue is not addressed satisfactorily and the matter is not resolved, the Islamic Republic will pursue the issue based on the mechanisms foreseen in the JCPOA and reserves its right to make any appropriate response."
According to Iranian media reports, the French ambassador to Iran expressed ignorance of the tweets of his country's ambassador to the United States and emphasized the French government's political will to fully implement the provisions of the JCPOA.
According to Reuters, Gerard Araud, who previously participated in nuclear negotiations with Iran, is set to retire on April 20. His writings about Iran were deleted a few hours after they were published, prompting protests from Iran.
The French government did not immediately take a position on the issue. The signatories to the nuclear deal with Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, are still seeking to preserve it, even though the United States has withdrawn from the agreement.
Source: DW
