Paris, France – French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed on Friday, June 10, that France will not approve the lifting of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran unless Paris is certain that the negotiations regarding Tehran’s nuclear program fully meet French expectations. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, France holds veto power, giving its position pivotal weight in any international effort to ease sanctions.
French conditions to ensure stability
In his remarks, Barrow stressed that regional stability will not be achieved unless US negotiations with Iran expand to include substantive issues beyond the nuclear file. He explained that France considers “the concerns surrounding Iran’s ballistic missile program,” as well as “Tehran’s support for proxy forces,” to be among the issues that must be addressed to achieve genuine stability. Barrow added, “We need a fundamental change in Iran’s approach.”
The EU’s position: “Premature”
In the same vein, the European Union adopted a cautious stance regarding easing economic pressure on Tehran. Kaya Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, emphasized that it was still too early to discuss lifting EU sanctions against Iran. Kallas indicated that the issue of reviewing European sanctions could only be raised after a comprehensive and clear nuclear agreement was reached with Tehran.
It is worth noting that the European Union is currently implementing a broad package of multilateral sanctions, targeting more than 700 individuals and entities within Iran. These punitive measures range from travel bans to asset freezes, as part of the EU’s strategy to pressure Tehran on multiple fronts. This hardening of European and French positions poses significant challenges to the ongoing negotiations. This comes amidst Paris and Brussels’ insistence on linking any economic concessions to comprehensive security and strategic guarantees concerning Iran’s regional behavior and its missile programs.
