JCPoA – Q&A (25 May 2022)

Q: On February 16, the former minister stated, concerning the JCPoA: “Either they unleash a serious crisis in the coming days … or they accept an agreement that respects the interests of all the parties.” Of course, since then, the agreement has reached a stalemate, partly because of the designation of the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group. But does Paris agree that Iran is almost a threshold state and is therefore satisfied with the status quo?

A : France will not accept Iran’s acquisition of military nuclear capabilities any more than its partners will. As we have said previously, we call on the parties to adopt a responsible approach and urgently take the decisions that are necessary to finalizing this agreement. It would be a serious, dangerous mistake to believe it can remain on the table indefinitely, while advances in the program – which continues to move forward at the same steady rate – could strip it of its benefits as far as nonproliferation is concerned.