France, EU partners pressing US to moderate Iran bans, Macron tells Rouhani
French President Emmanuel Macron says Paris and its European partners are pressing the Trump administration to moderate the sanctions it imposed against Tehran after withdrawing the US from the Iran nuclear deal.
Macron made the remarks in a phone conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday night.
He said France and its allies in Europe are seriously pursuing the implementation of all their commitments under the 2015 deal with Iran, vowing that they will do their utmost to “encourage” the US to ease its bans on the Islamic Republic.
“France is closely monitoring the regional developments, and will do its best to secure Iran’s interests under the JCPOA,” he said.
Macron at the same time highlighted the “highly significant” roles Russia and China can play in this regard.
Rouhani, for his part, called for accelerated and effective implementation of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) introduced by Europe within the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He said both sides of the important deal must fully implement their obligations, so that Iran would be able to reap the legitimate economic benefits of JCPOA.
“Despite living up to its commitments, Iran has not yet seen any considerable practical move by the other side,” Rouhani said, highlighting 14 reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, confirming Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal.
Donald Trump announced in May last year that he was quitting the JCPOA and restoring Washington's anti-Iran sanctions. The first round of the bans was re-imposed in August, and a second round was imposed in November. The bans impact millions of ordinary Iranians whose lives are directly threatened by the US sanctions.
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