Iran – From the press briefing (5 November 2019)

Q: On Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced another reduction in the commitments taken by his country on the nuclear issue. Do these announcements fundamentally jeopardize the 2015 agreement and compromise any resumption of dialogue between Washington and Tehran?

A: We have joined Germany, the United Kingdom and the European External Action Service in repeatedly expressing our deep concern over Iran’s recent announcements and actions that run counter to its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).

Iran’s announcement on November 5 that it would increase its enrichment capacity goes against the Vienna agreement, which strictly limits activities in this area. We and our partners are awaiting the IAEA’s upcoming reports on Iran’s announcements and actions. We reiterate our support for the work carried out by the Agency and reaffirm our confidence in the impartiality and independence with which it monitors and verifies Iran’s nuclear commitments and obligations.

We remain committed to the JCPoA and urge Iran to reconsider its decisions which run counter to the agreement, to fully adhere to its obligations, and to fully cooperate with the IAEA, within both the framework of the JCPoA and its other nuclear obligations.

France is fully committed to de-escalating tensions. A return to full compliance with the agreement is one of the key goals of this process, along with the opening of expanded negotiations on regional security and management of the Iranian nuclear program in the long term.