Iran said on Monday that it would not discuss its defense capacities with Western governments, after France called for a “global agreement” including Tehran’s ballistic program and its regional influence.
KEYSTONE
“There can be no question of discussing anything linked to our defense capacities,” the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, told the press.
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, estimated on Sunday on the American channel CBS News that there was a “risk” that Tehran continued in secret a military nuclear program, an ambition that Iran has always denied.
Barrot said that Western countries wanted a “global agreement” with Iran, including “nuclear dimension”, “ballistic component” and “regional destabilization activities carried out by Iran”.
Iranian diplomats met their French, German, German and British counterparts on Friday to discuss the Iranian nuclear program in Istanbul on Friday and a lifting of sanctions.
The three European powers (E3) have recently threatened to activate the mechanism which makes it possible to restore all international sanctions against Iran, in the absence of concrete progress.
Advanced advances before the end of August
As part of the 2015 Iranian nuclear program agreement, denounced by the United States in 2018 but still in force for the other parties (Iran, E3, China and Russia), a clause makes it possible to restore UN sanctions against Tehran in the event of breach of its commitments.
To be able to activate it before the expiration of the agreement in October, Europeans want diplomatic advances before the end of August.
“Unless a new agreement, solid, sustainable and verifiable, is concluded by the end of the summer, France, Germany and the United Kingdom will have no choice but to restore the overall embargo ten years ago,” warned Mr. Barrot.
Non-proliferation treaty
Iran has already warned that it could withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (TNP) if the sanctions were restored.
“We cannot expect a country that there remains a Treaty while being deprived of its recognized rights, in particular that of the peaceful use of nuclear energy,” said Baqaei.
He said that the meeting of Istanbul had only focused on “the nuclear question and the lifting of sanctions”.
He also defended the defensive posture of Iran, in particular following the Israeli attack launched on June 13.
“I believe that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian people are today even more determined that a month ago to protect all their achievements, including their defense means in the face of foreign aggression and hostility,” he said.
