Iranain Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has touched down in Biarritz, France, where G7 leaders are discussing a plan to restart the floundering nuclear deal. His surprise visit came at the invitation of his French counterpart.
The unscheduled visit at the invitation of Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian comes after Zarif met President Emmanuel Marcon earlier this week to discuss the fate of the agreement. The spokesman said Zarif would not be meeting US President Donald Trump or any of his delegation while in France.
#BREAKING: Iranian MFA confirms that #Iran‘s Foreign Minister @JZarif is now in G7 Biarritz at the invitation of French foreign minister; Claims Zarif will not have any meeting with American delegation
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) August 25, 2019
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, or Iran Deal) all but collapsed after the US withdrew unilaterally last May, leaving Washington’s European allies struggling to maintain trade with Tehran in the face of multiple rounds of US sanctions, and with military tensions between Iran and the US flaring in the Persian Gulf.
President Macron has made restarting negotiations with Tehran a priority at this weekend’s G7 summit, after meeting with Zarif in Paris on Friday, and holding telephone talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani beforehand. Though it was reported that the G7 leaders had agreed to task Macron with delivering a joint statement to Iran, US President Trump told reporters on Sunday that he hadn’t “discussed that.”
Also on rt.com Tehran ready to discuss Macron’s new plan to keep Iran in nuclear deal
When asked about the reports of Zarif’s alleged visit to the summit, Trump remained tight-lipped, saying “no comment.”
Trump and Macron entered this weekend’s summit holding vastly different positions on Iran. Whereas Macron presented his peace plan to Trump – which involved an agreement to allow Iran sell its oil, Trump arrived with hawkish national security adviser John Bolton, and insisted that his “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic was working.
Divided in their approach to doing so, the G7 leaders could only agree jointly that they wanted to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb and ensure peace and stability in the Middle East.
Like this story? Share it with a friend!
Comments are closed.