Iran, France presidents discuss nuclear deal, Syria's Ghouta on phone
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, have discussed the latest developments regarding Iran's nuclear deal with the P5+1 group of countries and the current situation in Syria's Eastern Ghouta.
The two presidents held a phone conversation on Sunday on the eve of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's scheduled visit to Tehran.
According to Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi, the French foreign minister is to arrive in Tehran Sunday night to hold talks with senior Iranian officials.
During his two-day visit, Le Drian plans to exchange views with President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on bilateral, regional and international issues, Qassemi added.
During the phone talk, Rouhani hailed France's stance on the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and once again urged all signatories to remain committed to their obligations under the deal.
"Tehran will remain committed to its undertakings as long as the opposite sides implement the JCPOA," the Iranian president said.
Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the US, 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.
Rouhani pointed to some claims about holding complementary talks on the JCPOA and said, "Seven countries reached an agreement, which was also endorsed by the Security Council. Iran has completely fulfilled its commitments, but unfortunately the US has constantly created obstacles in the way of implementation of the JCPOA."
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 his conditions were met.