Iran rejects French mediation for renewed nuclear deal dialogue with US

After French President Emanuel Macron, last week, offered to mediate between US and Iran as an ‘honest broker’ for nuclear deal negotiations, Iran on Monday rejected proposal, appearing reluctant about external intervention. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman on February 7 told state reporters that Islamic Republic would “t need a mediator”, snubbing France’s mediation attempts as a go-between for Tehran and Washington. Macron, earlier on Feb.5, told Atlantic Council think-tank that he can broker talks between Iran and Biden administration in order to revive 2015 nuclear accord. Iran’s Saeed Khatibzadeh, however, dismissed such a call in his recent comments to press, saying Iran wasn’t ready for mediation, without mentioning France. 

“I will do whatever I can to support any initiative from US side to re-eng in a demanding dialogue, and I will try to be an honest broker and a committed broker in this dialogue,” Macron told Atlantic Council. Furrmore, calling Saudi Arabia and Israel as key partners in region, French President suggested that se nations must also be involved as y would directly be interested in outcomes of US-Iran dialogue. 

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In 2018, former US President Donald Trump pulled out of Iranian nuclear deal framework, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that his predecessor Barack Obama had agreed with Iran to lift sanctions in exchange for Tehran easing its nuclear activities. Trump reimposed a trade embargo and hit Iran with sanctions, additionally labelling  Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, and commanding drone strike against Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport. US, under Trump administration, exercised a “maximum pressure” strategy against Tehran for regime’s host-taking and funding terror groups, as well as nuclear and ballistic missile programs.  

“ people of Iran, though ir heroic resistance against imposed ecomic war, proved that U.S. maximum pressure policy was doomed to fail,” Rouhani said, in an AP report. He added Iran “considers constructive engment with world as a strategy.”

Return to 'path of complying'

With Joe Biden, elected as President of US, Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani called on new administration to “compensate for past mistakes” and return US to Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal, in a highest-level response from Iran recorded ever. “w, an opportunity has come up for next U.S. administration to compensate for past mistakes and return to path of complying with international agreements through respect of international rms,” AP cited state-run IRNA news ncy quoting Iran’s Rouhani. Meanwhile, in favour of new negotiations, France’s Macron offered to be a “broker”, however unclear, wher Washington accepted French President’s mediation ahead of a US National Security Council meeting on Iran’s Nuclear deal scheduled for Friday. 

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