Envoy Dismisses French Claims on Iran's Nuclear Program as "Baseless"
Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani refuted French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot’s claims over Tehran's nuclear program as "unfounded and politically irresponsible", stressing that his country has never pursued atomic weapons.
“Resorting to threats and economic blackmail is entirely unacceptable and represents a clear breach of the principles enshrined in the UN Charter," Iravani wrote in letters to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Security Council head Jérôme Bonnafont.He said France’s threat to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism despite its own failure to honor its commitments contradicts the fundamental principles of international law that preclude a party from claiming rights under an agreement while simultaneously failing to fulfill its obligations."Such an action is legally and procedurally flawed, unacceptable, and invalid, and would undermine the credibility of the Security Council,” he added.The diplomat further reaffirmed Iran's commitment to diplomacy and constructive engagement, but "genuine diplomacy cannot be conducted under threats or pressure"."If France and its partners are truly interested in a diplomatic resolution, they must abandon coercion and respect the sovereign rights of States under international law,” he continued.Iravani said France’s credibility on non-proliferation is fundamentally undermined by its own record as it continues to modernize and expand its nuclear arsenal, remains silent about, and is complicit in the Israeli regime’s undeclared nuclear weapons program.France has also yet to fulfill its disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), he added.
The ambassador rejected the French foreign minister's accusations that Iran sought to acquire nuclear weapons.“Allegations that Iran is ‘on the cusp’ of developing nuclear weapons are entirely unfounded and politically irresponsible. The Islamic Republic of Iran has never pursued nuclear weapons, and its defensive doctrine has not been changed,” Iravani said.“Iran unequivocally rejects all weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), including nuclear arms,” he continued, adding, “As a founding member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Iran remains fully committed to its obligations under the treaty.”The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he stated, “continues to monitor and verify the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program. Its reports have consistently verified that there has been no diversion of nuclear material for non-peaceful purposes.”Barrot’s allegations about Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program reflect either a fundamental misunderstanding or deliberate distortion of Iran’s legal rights under international law, he said.The claims also demonstrate a selective interpretation of facts and exemplifies a persistent pattern of double standards by a country that bears specific responsibilities as a permanent member of the Security Council, he added.
Barrot announced on Monday that his government along with Germany and Britain "will not hesitate for a single second to reapply all the sanctions" lifted a decade ago if European security and stability is threatened by Iran's nuclear activities.Iran has described the European countries' threat to trigger the snapback mechanism— which fully reinstates anti-Tehran sanctions— as "unconstructive". Tehran has stressed that the United Kingdom, France and Germany should make a decision whether they seek to play a role in the process of the negotiations between Iran and the United States.Tehran has proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with six world powers. However, Washington’s exit in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the accord in limbo.Iran started to reduce its commitments under the JCPOA in a series of pre-announced and clear steps after witnessing the other parties' failure to secure its interests under the accord.
Tehran and the European trio of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany (E3) have been conducting on-again, off-again talks since 2021, three years after the United States unilaterally left the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers under then-President Donald Trump.The three European parties to the nuclear agreement then failed to live up to their promise of bringing Washington back into the accord.Iran has declared that its nuclear program remains purely peaceful as always and that Tehran had no intention of developing nuclear weapons as a matter of an Islamic and state principal and has no hidden nuclear program.
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