France seeks progress on nuclear talks as Iran top diplomat to visit Paris

This week, France will host Iran’s foreign minister in Paris for discussions that will include stalled nuclear negotiations.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed on Monday that Araghchi, the country’s ambassador to Iran, will visit on Wednesday for talks Paris hopes will bring Iran back into full cooperation with the IAEA as a result of a lapsed nuclear deal.

Before the meeting, Barrot stated, “This is an opportunity for us to call on Iran to fulfill its obligations to the IAEA and to resume cooperation with the organization quickly.”

Two French nationals who were detained in Iran but are still unable to leave the country are also being discussed by French officials. Both are currently residing in Tehran’s French embassy, and Paris has repeatedly pressed for their return.

Tehran has indicated that it feels little urgency to resume indirect discussions with the United States regarding Iran’s nuclear program’s future.

Iran declared earlier this month that it was “not in a hurry” to resume negotiations despite mounting pressure following the return of UN sanctions and the expansion of the country’s economy.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi asserted that position, saying Tehran would remain open to dialogue if Washington approached discussions “from an equal position based on mutual interest.”

He criticized “illogical and unfair” the claims made by US officials about demands for direct talks, zero enrichment, restrictions on missile capabilities, and restrictions on support for regional allies.

He said, “It seems they are not in a hurry.” We are also not in a rush, either.

Iranians’ top diplomat added that regional politics are changing in Iran’s favor.

He said, “I occasionally tell my friends that Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal who has committed every atrocity, but he did something to demonstrate to the entire region that Israel is the main enemy, not Iran, and not any other country.”

After Israel attacked Iranian nuclear sites, a sixth indirect US-Iran nuclear discussion broke out in June, evoking a 12-day war that claimed the lives of more than 1, 000 Iranians and damaged billions of dollars.

After the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, the two sides reached a truce.

Iran, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, China, and the United States all unilaterally abdicated their nuclear weapons from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed by US President Donald Trump in 2018.

Iran has since continued to violate the agreement’s terms, contending that the US withdrawal has ended it. Iranian officials maintain that Iran’s nuclear program is being developed solely for civilian purposes.