Iran urges France to reconsider its ‘unconstructive’ stance prior to the upcoming meeting

Iran urged Paris to reconsider its “unconstructive” stance just days before Tehran is scheduled to engage in a new round of discussions regarding its nuclear program with key European nations.

On Monday, Emmanuel Macron expressed concerns that Tehran’s uranium enrichment activities are approaching a critical threshold and cautioned that European partners involved in the faltering 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran should contemplate reinstating sanctions if no advancements are made.

“False assertions from a government that has itself neglected its commitments under the nuclear agreement and has significantly contributed to (Israel’s) nuclear weapons development are misleading and accusatory,” stated Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on X on Wednesday.

France, Germany, and Britain were among the signatories of the 2015 agreement, in which Iran consented to limit its enrichment activities—viewed by the West as a covert attempt to develop nuclear weapons—in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

Iran maintains that its uranium enrichment is intended for peaceful purposes and has intensified its program since U.S. President-elect Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 agreement during his first term and reinstated stringent sanctions on Tehran.

Diplomats from France, Germany, and Britain are scheduled to meet with their Iranian counterparts on January 13, following a previous meeting in November aimed at exploring the potential for serious negotiations in the coming months to ease tensions with Tehran, coinciding with Trump’s anticipated return to the White House on January 20.