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France turned out as Iran deal’s “fifth column”

Politics Materials 20 November 2017 22:30 (UTC +04:00)
France has turned out as "fifth column" in Iran’s nuclear deal as the European country has started attempts to cut through the international accord, according to a political expert.
France turned out as Iran deal’s “fifth column”

Tehran, Iran, Nov. 20

By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:

France has turned out as "fifth column" in Iran’s nuclear deal as the European country has started attempts to cut through the international accord, according to a political expert.

In recent weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron has started a comprehensive anti-Iran campaign from two main fronts. On one hand he has been calling for a change to the 2015 nuclear deal, saying the deal was not enough. On the other hand, he has sided with Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia, questioning Iran’s regional policy.

“For France to act against the spirit of the JCPOA (nuclear deal) means after the US, one of Europe’s signatories of the deal is not holding, and therefore the deal is put in limbo,” Mohammad Rezaee, a political expert, told Trend November 20.

He noted that while France has been one of the first countries to strike trade deals with Iran following the JCPOA, Macron’s new moves endanger Iran’s ties with the whole European Union.

Patrick Pouyanné, Total’s chief executive officer, last week said under political pressure, his company is liable to leave the $4.8 billion deal with Iran. “If we cannot do that for legal reasons, because of [a] change of [the] regime of sanctions, then we have to revisit it,” he said.

Macron’s anti-Iran push ensued US President Donald Trump’s October decertification of the Iran deal, when the White House chief said he would require Congress to impose new sanctions on Iran.

Besides the Total deal, France was quick to seal other deals with Iran immediately after the JCPOA. Airbus signed a deal with IranAir over 100 planes in early 2016. Also, the French automotive giant PSA Group (Peugeot-Citroën) and Iran Khodro in June 2016 signed a 400-million-euro joint venture deal dubbed IKAP.

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