Iranian Parliament speaker Ali Larijani has slammed France over inaction to save the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers saying that the European mechanism for trade deals with Iran, INSTEX, is merely “on paper.”
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“Despite the multiple negotiations that were held, the French president’s promise to Iran’s president to save the JCPOA was not fulfilled,” Larijani said in a meeting with Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly Marielle de Sarnez in Tehran on Saturday, referring to the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“In fact, it should be said that the INSTEX mechanism has remained on the paper,” he said, referring to the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges which the UK, France and Germany -- the three European signatories of the JCPOA -- unveiled in January to protect trade with Iran from harsh US economic sanctions.
Larijani further underlined the significance of economic relations with France, saying that Paris can play a role in the region.nuc
The French lawmaker, for her part, highlighted the importance of parliamentary ties between Iran and France, saying the lawmakers of the two nations can play a significant role in tough times.
Expressing Europe’s support for the nuclear deal, de Sarnez said her country is determined to achieve the objective of saving the JCPOA.
Later in the day, de Sarnez also held talks with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araqchi.
Araqchi said that “the economic war that America has launched against the Iranian people has targeted the security and stability of the entire region and caused tension in the region.”
The Iranian official described the JCPOA as “the only successful [outcome of] diplomacy to resolve problems through negotiation in the chaotic West Asian region.”
“The United States has endangered diplomacy and multilateralism by leaving the deal and has exposed the experience to failure,” he said.
After leaving the JCPOA last May, US President Donald Trump reimposed what he called "toughest ever" sanctions on Tehran and threatened to punish European firms that violated them.
Trump has promised that he will continue to implement the "maximum pressure" campaign until Iran agrees to renegotiate a deal that also addresses its ballistic missile program and curbs its regional influence.
The European trio claimed upon unveiling the long-awaited special trade vehicle that they would try to keep the nuclear deal alive.
Tehran, however, has made it clear ever since that it is already considering several trade agreements with its neighbors and close allies as alternatives to the European solution.
