Iranian and French delegations hold talks for over ten hours
Iranian FM Javad Zarif also said that Tehran would further reduce its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal if European parties failed to shield the countries's economy.
By ROSSELLA TERCATIN Iran's deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi (L), with visiting senior French diplomat Emmanuel Bonne in Tehran, Iran, July 10, 2019. (photo credit: NAZANIN TABATABAEE YAZDI/ TIMA VIA REUTERS)
An Iranian delegation and a French delegation held talks that lasted over ten hours on Monday, according to a tweet by the Iranian embassy in Paris."After several months of negotiations and contacts at various levels and intensity, talks between #Iran and #France are still ongoing. Today, too, the two delegations met for 10 hours, very intensively," the embassy wrote."By taking 'steps forward,' and through 'mutual understanding,' the highly measured and intelligent diplomacy of #Iran will overcome victoriously all the obstacles against the great Iranian people created by the enemies,' it further stated on twitter.Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi led Tehran's delegation, Radio Farda reported.Earlier on Monday, an Iranian government's spokesperson said that Tehran's and France's positions over the nuclear deal have become closer after several phone calls between President Hassan Rouhani and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to Radio Farda.However, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also said on Monday that Tehran would further reduce its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal if European parties failed to shield the countries's economy from sanctions reimposed by the United States after Washington quit the accord last year."It is meaningless to continue unilateral commitments to the deal if we don't enjoy its benefits as promised by the deal's European parties," Zarif said in a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart in Moscow.Iran has said it will breach the deal's limits on its nuclear activities one by one, ratcheting up pressure on the countries who still hope to save it.Tehran has threatened to take further steps by Sept. 6, such as enriching uranium to 20% or restarting mothballed centrifuges, machines that purify uranium for use as fuel in power plants or, if very highly enriched, in weapons.Reuters contributed to this report.
