PARIS — France’s foreign minister made clear Friday that his country intends to have a say in any nuclear agreement reached with Iran, warning that Paris will not sign off on lifting United Nations sanctions unless it is satisfied with the final terms.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking to broadcaster franceinfo, noted that France holds veto power as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. He stressed that regional stability cannot be achieved unless ongoing U.S. talks with Iran also address the country’s ballistic missile program and its backing of proxy forces in the region.
“The return for major concessions that will be asked of Iran is the lifting of sanctions, sanctions that were taken at the United Nations,” Barrot said. “France is a permanent member of the United Nations (Security Council) so as was the case 10 years ago, France will have to give its approval for the sanctions to be lifted.”
Earlier this week, the United States and Iran agreed to enter a 60-day negotiating period focused on Iran’s nuclear program, with the understanding that any final deal would need to be approved by the Security Council.
European nations have expressed concern that the current U.S. negotiating team may lack the experience needed to lock down a strong nuclear agreement or tackle Iran’s missile activities during the next phase of talks — potentially leading to a prolonged diplomatic standoff.
France, Britain, and Germany are seeking a seat at the table as negotiations move forward, having been largely excluded from recent diplomatic efforts. The three countries first became involved in Iran’s nuclear issue back in 2003 and later partnered with then-U.S. President Barack Obama to craft a 2015 agreement that curbed Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been openly critical of that earlier accord, which he withdrew the United States from during his first term in office.
Barrot reinforced France’s position, saying: “Our objective is to get major concessions from the Iranian regime, a radical change in posture. And we will have our word to say, because as a member of the UNSC it will be necessarily linked to the resolution of this crisis.”
