Iran Nuclear Deal Parties Meet as Accord Nears Collapse

The remaining signatories to the faltering 2015 Iran nuclear deal will meet in Vienna on Friday with the survival of the landmark agreement at stake after Tehran vowed to continue to breach the deal's limits on its nuclear program.

Envoys from Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and Iran will take part in the meeting, which is the first time the six parties will have gathered in this format since July.

Since May, Iran has taken a series of measures, including stepping up uranium enrichment, in breach of the 2015 deal, with another such move likely in early January.

Iran insists that under the agreement it has the right to take these measures in retaliation for the US's withdrawal from the deal in 2018 and reimposition of crippling sanctions.

Since last month, European members have in turn begun raising the possibility of triggering the so-called "dispute resolution mechanism" foreseen in the accord, which could lead to the resumption of UN sanctions on Iran.

On the eve of what was already likely to be a strained meeting, Britain, France and Germany accused Iran of developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, in a letter to the UN on Thursday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif dismissed the allegation as "desperate falsehood".

However, despite the mounting tension observers say Britain, France and Germany are unlikely to trigger the dispute resolution mechanism on Friday when their diplomats attend the joint commission meeting chaired by senior EU official Helga-Maria Schmid.

Analysts say if UN sanctions are re-imposed and the deal falls apart, Iran could also withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

"It's not clear whether that's worth the benefit," Ali Vaez from the International Crisis Group told AFP.

But he warned the risk of the deal collapsing was increasing as Iran was "running out of measures that are easy to reverse and non-controversial".

"Both sides are locked into an escalatory cycle that is just very hard to imagine that they would step away from," he said.

Francois Nicoullaud, former French ambassador to Iran, also says tensions were expected to continue to rise.

"Maybe it won't be this time, but (the deal falling apart) will certainly be in the background of the discussions," Nicoullaud told AFP.

'No Breathing Space'

Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani warned Sunday that if European partners triggered the dispute mechanism, Tehran may "seriously reconsider" its commitments to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which monitors the deal's implementation.

European efforts to shield Iran from the effects of US sanctions by creating a mechanism to carry on legitimate trade with the Islamic republic have borne little fruit, much to Tehran's frustration.

The EU is growing increasingly concerned by Tehran rowing back from its commitments.

The dispute resolution mechanism in the deal has numerous stages, but it can eventually culminate in the UN Security Council voting on whether Iran should still have relief from sanctions lifted under the deal.

In such a scenario, says Vaez, "we will have a major non-proliferation crisis on our hands in the sense that the Russians and the Chinese have already declared they would not recognize the return of (sanctions)".

Vaez said in the end the path to a diplomatic solution would depend on Washington's next moves and whether it would at least be willing to relax its attempts to prevent sales of Iranian oil, a vital source of income for the country.

"The remaining parties to the deal have proved incapable of providing Iran with any kind of breathing space," Vaez said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Tehran is willing to return to the negotiating table if the United States first drops sanctions.

Photo: IRNA

Iran Rejects French Idea of Re-Opening Nuclear Talks

Iran on Friday rejected an idea mooted by France of re-opening nuclear talks, warning that seeking to broaden an existing landmark treaty could lead to its collapse.

President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that his goal of “regional peace” would require new negotiations, adding that Paris aimed to rein in Iran’s nuclear and ballistics activities and its regional influence.

He made the comments at a press conference with US President Donald Trump, who last year withdrew from the multi-lateral agreement known as the JCPOA.

But Tehran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi warned Friday that “bringing up issues that are beyond the JCPOA does not help in saving the JCPOA, but will instead cause increased distrust among the remaining parties” to the deal.

European leaders, bitterly angered by Trump’s pullout from the deal in May last year, have struggled to find ways to salvage it in the face of Washington’s re-instatement of tough sanctions.

In a statement on the foreign ministry’s website, Mousavi said European parties to the deal had been “incapable of acting upon their commitments”.

Under such circumstances, he said, making new demands would “only help America in nearing its objective—the collapse of the JCPOA.”

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was an agreement between world powers including France and the United States, offering Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Iran had until recently remained in full compliance with the deal, but with the remaining parties struggling to bypass US sanctions, Tehran has reaped few of the promised benefits.

In May, it dropped its adherence to certain limits on enrichment activities under the accord and gave an ultimatum to the remaining parties that it would ditch other commitments unless they delivered on promised sanctions relief.

Trump’s administration has also sought tighter controls on Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities.

In comments published by the Washington Times on Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded that Iran bring its missile programme “back inside a set of constraints” laid out in UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hit back, tweeting that the US had “violated” the same resolution by withdrawing from the nuclear deal and was “in no position to push a conceited interpretation of its missile provision”.

He pointed out that the resolution called on Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles DESIGNED to be capable of delivering NUCLEAR weapons.”

“Our missiles are not ‘designed’ for nukes, which we’re not developing,” he said.

Photo: IRNA

Israel Warns Iran that its Missiles Can Travel 'Very Far'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran Tuesday that Israeli missiles can travel "very far", on the eve of a conference in Poland about peace and security in the Middle East.

Speaking during a visit to a naval base in the northern port of Haifa, Netanyahu said: "The missiles you see behind me can go very far, against any enemy, including Iran's proxies in our region"—an apparent reference to Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement.

"We are constantly working according to our understanding and the need to prevent Iran and its proxies from entrenching on our northern border and in our region in general," Netanyahu added.

"We are doing everything necessary," said Netanyahu, as he inspected Israel's Iron Dome aerial defence system.

Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel would not allow Iran and its ally Hezbollah to entrench themselves in neighboring Syria where they are backing the Damascus regime against rebels and jihadists.

Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria in the past few years against Iranian and Hezbollah targets.

On Wednesday the Israeli prime minister is set to take part in an international conference in Warsaw co-organized by the United States and Poland.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month announced the two-day conference saying it would focus on the "destabilizing influence" of Iran in the Middle East.

But with few RSVPs coming, Poland and the US have toned down the agenda to focus on ways of promoting peace and security in the Middle East.

During the conference US President Donald Trump son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, who has been putting final touches on a "deal of the century" for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, will make a rare speaking appearance.

Kushner may offer hints of the US peace proposal but is not expected to unveil the full deal until after the April 9 election in Israel.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Revolutionary Guards Unveil 'New Ballistic Missile'

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Thursday unveiled a new ballistic missile with a range of 1,000 kilometres, their official news agency Sepah News reported.

The move was the latest show of military might by the country as it celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution at a time of heightened tensions with the United States.

The surface-to-surface missile—called Dezful—is an upgrade on the older Zolfaghar model that had a range of 700 kilometers (435 miles), aerospace commander Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said.

The new weapon was revealed after Iran on Saturday said it had successfully tested a new cruise missile named Hoveizeh with a range of 1,350 kilometers.

The unveiling ceremony Thursday was carried out by Revolutionary Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari and Hajizadeh at an "underground ballistic missile production facility", the report said.

The facility's location was not specified and pictures published by Sepah News showed only the two commanders in a room examining the missile.

"Displaying this missile production facility deep underground is an answer to Westerners ... who think they can stop us from reaching our goals through sanctions and threats," Jafari was reported as saying.

"Europeans talk of limiting our defensive capability while they have the audacity (to allow) their offensive power be used to attack innocent people all over the world," he added.

Hajizadeh said the new missile had a "destructive power" twice that of the Zolfaghar version, which Iran used for the first time in October to strike a jihadist base in Syria. 

Iran has voluntarily limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), but that is still enough to hit its arch-enemy Israel and US bases in the Middle East.

Tehran reined in most of its nuclear program under a landmark 2015 deal with major powers but has kept up development of its ballistic missile technology.

President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the nuclear accord in May and reimposed sanctions on Iran, citing the missile program among its reasons. 

Iran and the other signatories have stuck by the 2015 agreement, although some European governments have demanded an addition to address Tehran's ballistic missile program and its intervention in regional conflicts.

UN Security Council Resolution 2231—adopted just after the nuclear deal—calls on Iran "not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons".

Tehran insists that its missile development program is "purely defensive" and compliant with the resolution.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Denies Any Intention of Boosting Range of Missiles

Iran has "no intention of increasing the range" of its missiles, a senior defense official said Tuesday, amid threats of European as well as US sanctions over its ballistic program.

Iran has voluntarily limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), sufficient to reach Israel and Western bases in the Middle East.

But Washington and its allies have accused Tehran of pursuing enhanced missile capabilities that also threaten Europe.

"Iran has no technological or operational constraints to increasing the range of its military missiles," the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, said.

"But while constantly striving to improve accuracy, solely based on its defense doctrine, (it) has no intention of increasing the range of (its) missiles," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

US President Donald Trump cited Iran's missile program as one of the reasons why he pulled Washington out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers last year.

European governments have stuck by the nuclear deal but some have demanded a supplementary agreement to tackle Iran's ballistic missile program and its interventions in regional conflicts. 

Shamkhani's comments come after France warned on Friday that it was ready to impose new sanctions if talks on a supplementary deal fail to make progress.

"We have begun a difficult dialogue with Iran... and, unless progress is made, we are ready to apply sanctions, firmly, and they know it," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

Iran retorted that French arms sales in the Middle East were one of the real sources of instability in the region.

Space Program to Continue

Iran's space program has also come under Western criticism, with Washington charging that an abortive satellite launch earlier this month was cover for a bid for an intercontinental ballistic missile capability.

But Shamkhani, who was addressing the national conference on space technology in Tehran, said Iran could accept no limitations on its satellite launches. 

"We will vigorously carry on with the development of our space program," IRNA quoted him as saying.

Iran tried unsuccessfully to put a satellite into orbit on January 15, and plans to make a second attempt soon.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of violating UN Security Resolution 2231 of 2015.

It calls on Iran "not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons".

Iran has always denied seeking any nuclear weapons capability but has said repeatedly that it needs its missile program as a matter of national security.

In the 1980-1988 war launched by Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Iranian cities were devastated by Iraqi missiles in a bombing campaign dubbed the "war of the cities.”

Iranian officials say that Western sanctions have starved its air force of spare parts and replacement aircraft, severely limiting its operational capacity and forcing Iran to rely on its missile programme.

The council run by Shamkhani is in charge of drawing up Iranian military and security policy. 

A former defense minister and adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he was appointed as its secretary by President Hassan Rouhani in 2013.

Photo Credit; IRNA

Iran Accuses France of 'Destabilizing' Region

Iran has accused France of being a destabilizing force in the region after its foreign minister threatened new sanctions against Tehran over its missile program.

"The Islamic republic has always called for the strengthening of peace and stability in the region," the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement released overnight Friday.

As such Iran "considers the mass sales of sophisticated and offensive weapons by... France as a factor in destabilizing the balance of the region," the statement said.

It came after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday said Paris was ready to impose new sanctions on Tehran if talks on its missile program and its regional influence fail to make progress.

"We have begun a difficult dialogue with Iran... and unless progress is made we are ready to apply sanctions, firmly, and they know it," Le Drian said.

Le Drian also demanded that Iran change its behavior in the region, specifically regarding its military presence in Syria.

The Iranian foreign ministry responded saying "Iran's missile program is not negotiable" and warned that "any new sanction by European countries will lead to a review of our relations with them".

Iran reined in most of its nuclear program under a landmark 2015 deal with major powers—Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States—that lifted sanctions on the Iran.

But in May the United States withdrew from the deal and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.

The EU has been trying to set up a special payment mechanism to maintain trade and business ties with Iran and circumvent the US sanctions.

Tehran has continued to develop its ballistic missile technology but says it has no intention of acquiring atomic weapons and that its missile development programs are purely defensive.

Photo Credit: IRNA

US Warns Iran Against Space Launch

The United States on Thursday warned Iran of consequences if it goes ahead with plans to send off three space launch vehicles, charging despite Tehran's denials that the move would violate a UN resolution.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Iran's satellite-delivery rockets used technology "virtually identical" to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, which could eventually include long-range missiles capable of reaching the United States.

"The United States will not stand by and watch the Iranian regime's destructive policies place international stability and security at risk," Pompeo said in a statement.

"We advise the regime to reconsider these provocative launches and cease all activities related to ballistic missiles in order to avoid deeper economic and diplomatic isolation," he said.

Pompeo said that an Iranian launch would defy UN Security Council Resolution 2231 of 2015, which endorsed an international accord on ending the clerical regime's nuclear program and called on Tehran "not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons."

US President Donald Trump last year walked out of the Iran deal, which was negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama, instead reimposing sweeping sanctions aimed at crippling the country's economy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denied Pompeo's charges, saying that neither space launches nor missile tests—which Iran says are vital for defense and not nuclear in nature—violated Resolution 2231.

"The US is in material breach of same, & as such it is in no position to lecture anyone on it," he tweeted, referring to the US rejection of the UN-endorsed denuclearization pact.

Iran's deputy defense minister, Brigadier General Ghasem Taghizadeh, said in November that Tehran would launch three satellites into space "in the coming months."

"These satellites have been built with native know-how and will be positioned in different altitudes," he said, as quoted by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Iran has seen economic potential in developing a satellite program, which could build a needed revenue source and also be used for espionage.

But US intelligence has said that the technology could easily be converted to long-range missiles.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Urges West to End 'Absurdities' on Missiles

Iran on Thursday urged the United States and its allies to stop their "absurd" accusations about Iranian missile tests, a day after Washington urged the UN to adopt punitive measures against Tehran. 

"US & allies should cease their hypocritical absurdities about Iran's missiles," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter.

"Facts speak for themselves. It's they who sell USD 100s of billions in arms to butcher Yemenis," he added, referring to the devastating Saudi-led war backed by the West against Yemen rebels. 

Beneath the text, Zarif published a graphic detailing arms exports to Saudi Arabia from 2013 to 2017 using figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The US accounted for 61 percent of those arms sales to Riyadh, Britain made up 23 percent of sales, and deals from France accounted for four percent, 
according to the chart.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council to take punitive action against Iran to limit its ballistic missile program, which Washington says poses a threat to the region and beyond. 

A day earlier, Iran confirmed it had carried out a missile test and reiterated its intention to keep up ballistic activities despite Western condemnation.

Paris and London said Tehran's test was "provocative" but called for dialogue with Iran rather than sanctions as demanded by the US. 

Iran reined in most of its nuclear program under a landmark 2015 deal with major powers, which the US walked away from in May, but has continued to develop its ballistic missile technology.

UN Security Council Resolution 2231 adopted after the agreement calls on Iran to refrain from testing missiles capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, but does not specifically bar Tehran from missile launches.

Tehran says it has no intention of acquiring atomic weapons and that its missile development programs are purely defensive and comply with the resolution. 

Photo Credit:

France, Britain Seek UN Security Council Meeting on Iran Missile Test

France and Britain on Monday requested a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council after charging that Iran test-fired a medium-range missile at the weekend, diplomats said.

The meeting is expected to be held Tuesday. 

The United States said the missile launch on Saturday was a violation of a UN resolution that endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which Washington has withdrawn.

That resolution calls on Iran to refrain from testing missiles capable of carrying a nuclear weapon.

France said it was concerned by the test-firing with the foreign ministry describing it as "provocative and destabilizing" and "does not conform" with UN resolution 2231 on the Iran deal. 

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the missile test "provocative, threatening and inconsistent" with the resolution and said Britain was determined "that it should cease."

Iran has long maintained that its missile program is defensive in nature and not aimed at ensuring the delivery of a nuclear weapon, a stance supported by Russia at the Security Council.

Washington's Iran envoy Brian Hook urged the European Union to slap sanctions that target Tehran's missile program as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Brussels for talks with European partners.

The United States decided in May to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions on Iran, to the dismay of its Europeans allies.

The nuclear deal provides for a lifting of sanctions against Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear activities.

The remaining five signatories to the nuclear deal—Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia—have backed an EU effort to set up a special payment system in a bid to maintain trade and business ties with Iran.

Photo Commons: Tasnim

US Calls for EU Sanctions on Iranian Ballistic Program

The United States urged the European Union on Monday to apply sanctions targeting Iran's ballistic missile program, calling it a "grave and escalating threat."

Over the weekend, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo charged that Iran tested a medium-range missile capable of carrying multiple warheads and striking parts of Europe and the entire Middle East.

He said the test violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the Iran nuclear deal signed by world powers with the Islamic republic.

"The Iranian government claims that its missile testing is purely defensive in nature. It's not defensive," Washington's Iran special envoy Brian Hook told reporters aboard Pompeo's plane as he traveled to Brussels for a NATO meeting.

"We would like to see the European Union move sanctions that target Iran's missile program."

Hook said President Donald Trump's campaign of "maximum pressure" on Tehran since withdrawing from the Iran  nuclear deal "can be effective if more nations can join us in those (sanctions)."

"It is a grave and escalating threat, and nations around the world, not just Europe, need to do everything they can to be targeting Iran's missile program," he added.

Hook said "progress" was being made on getting NATO allies to consider a proposal to target individuals and entities that play key roles in Iran's missile program.

The United States decided in May to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions on Iran.

EU countries have denounced the move and are working to preserve the nuclear deal, even though they have also criticized Iranian positions on other matters.

Photo Credit: IRNA

Iran Adhering to Nuclear Deal: British PM

Iran is adhering to its commitments under the Iran nuclear deal and the accord—repudiated by the United States—should stay in place, Britain's prime minister said in an interview broadcast  on Sunday.

"From what we see, we believe that it is doing that," Theresa May told CBS. 

"We believe that that should stay in place. And others, involved in putting that deal together believe that it should stay in place," May said in excerpts of an interview shown on "Face the Nation" that was to air in full Monday on "This Morning."

But there are other issues outside the deal that also need to be dealt with, she said.

"Looking at the issue of ballistic missiles. Looking at—the way in which —Iran is acting in the region—to destabilize the region. We need to address those issues," May said.

May's interview came as world leaders geared up for a week of high-stakes diplomacy at the UN General Assembly, which is set to be dominated by North Korea and Iran.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump will for the first time chair a Security Council meeting on non-proliferation and weapons of mass destruction that will focus heavily on Iran -- likely triggering a clash with other big powers.

Earlier this year, Trump pulled the US out of the deal it reached with Iran and five other countries in 2015. That accord lifted sanctions against Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.

Now, the US is reimposing those sanctions.

Other parties to the deal have argued that it is working and should stay in place, while the International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran is complying with the accord.

Photo Credit: Wikicommons

Iran 'Cannot Avoid' Expanded Talks on Nuclear Issue: France

Iran "cannot avoid" talks on thorny issues like its ballistic missile program and role in Middle East conflicts, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Thursday, as European powers work to rescue the beleaguered nuclear deal with Tehran.

France, Germany and Britain are leading European efforts to save the landmark 2015 deal to curb Iran's nuclear program, which was thrown into crisis in May when US President Donald Trump withdrew and reimposed sanctions.

Critics of the accord—which was also signed by Russia and China—say it is too narrowly focused on the nuclear issue and does nothing to curb Iran's meddling in regional conflicts or its program to develop conventional ballistic missiles.

The European Union is trying to find ways to maintain oil and banking ties with Iran after the second phase of US sanctions kicks in in November, and Le Drian said it was important to find ways to keep the Islamic republic trading.

But he warned that Tehran must keep up its side of the deal, and be prepared to expand talks.

"Iran must respect the fundamentals of the JCPOA (nuclear deal) and I think that is the case," Le Drian said as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Vienna.

"But Iran cannot avoid discussions, negotiations on three other major subjects that worry us—the future of Iran's nuclear commitments after 2025, the ballistic question and the fact there is a sort of ballistic proliferation on the part of Iran... and the role Iran plays to stabilize the whole region.

"We must talk about these three subjects, Iran must be aware of this and that's the message I send to them from Vienna."

Despite European pledges to keep providing Iran with the economic benefits it received from the nuclear deal, many major companies have already pulled out of the country for fear of US penalties. 

Photo Credit: Wikicommons

French Foreign Minister in Tehran for Tense Talks

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was in Tehran Monday to push for pledges on Iran's ballistic missile program in a bid to preserve the country's historic nuclear deal.

It is the first visit by one of the European parties to the 2015 nuclear accord since US President Donald Trump set an ultimatum that he would abandon it in May if it was not "improved".

Le Drian had promised a "frank dialogue" ahead of his arrival in Tehran early Monday, but faced an awkward reception given the anger generated by his comments on Iran's missile program and foreign policy.

"In order to keep the United States in the Iran nuclear deal, European countries are suffering from extremism and this will ultimately undermine Europe's policy," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the reformist newspaper Etemad ahead of his meeting with Le Drian.

It followed the French minister's interview with the Journal du Dimanche a day earlier, in which he warned that Tehran was "exposing itself to new sanctions" if it did not rein in its missile programme.

Conservative media in Iran hit back on Monday, with daily Kayhan writing: "French foreign minister insults people of Iran before visit to Tehran." The Javan newspaper headlined its story: "Trump's Parisian lackey in Tehran."

Le Drian headed into talks with Zarif shortly after meeting with Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme Council of National Security and a close ally of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. There were no public statements or news conferences -- reflecting the
sensitive moment in which the countries find themselves.

'No emissary of Trump'

Trump in January set a 120-day deadline for US lawmakers and European allies to "fix" the nuclear deal, the top foreign policy achievement of his predecessor Barack Obama.

But Iran has refused to re-negotiate the deal or add extra clauses, arguing that the United States has failed to keep up its end of the bargain on the existing accord.

Keen to appease Trump and save the deal, European countries have voiced increasing concern over the missile program, which Iran says is purely defensive and not up for negotiation. Le Drian has said that without an end to ballistic missile tests by Iran, it will "always be suspected, with reason, of wanting to develop nuclear weapons."

Nonetheless, Le Drian's team were keen to emphasise he was no "emissary of Donald Trump" and firmly supported the 2015 deal. "We want to preserve the nuclear deal because it is working, it's robust and because the Iranians are respecting it," the team told AFP.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly found Iran is abiding by its commitments, which curbs its nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of crippling international sanctions. IAEA director general Yukiya Amano said on Monday that losing the nuclear deal "would be a great loss for nuclear verification and for multilateralism".

France's Re-Engagement

If the political track looks tricky, France is at least hoping that its cultural diplomacy can offer a more positive flavour to the trip with Le Drian due to inaugurate an "unprecedented" show of items from the Louvre in Paris at Tehran's National Museum.

"Relations between France and Iran are old and profound because France was a pioneer of archaeological exploration here," said Jean-Luc Martinez, president of the Louvre.

"This international exhibition allows us to make the link between this glorious moment and the relations dating back to the 19th century." Despite their differences, Iran has broadly welcomed France's re-engagement with the country.

Last year's $5 billion gas exploration deal with French energy giant Total was the biggest in Iran since the nuclear accord, and showed French companies were willing to stand up to pressure from Washington to avoid all business relations with the Islamic republic.

Le Drian is also expected to push Tehran to put pressure on its Syrian ally to end the devastating assault on Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.

In a phone call on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani to put the "necessary pressure" on the Syrian government to halt "indiscriminate" attacks in the rebel enclave.

Photo Credit: MFA