On Friday, January 29 in Paris, French Head of State Emmanuel Macron said that negotiations on Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with major world powers would be very strict and should include Saudi Arabia and its neighbors.
The spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Said Khatibzadeh, rejected the participation of “any new party” or even “any new dialogue”. For Khatibzadeh, “the nuclear agreement is a multilateral international document which was approved by Security Council Resolution 2231 and which cannot be the subject of new negotiations”. The spokesman for Iranian diplomacy stressed that no new country could join the nuclear agreement.
Macron’s flattering subservience to some reactionary Arab regimes in the region stems from a vacuum of support following Donald Trump’s defeat in the U.S. elections.
But as to why France emphasizes the presence of regional actors outside the framework of the CMP in the negotiations with Iran, a few points deserve reflection:
1. France seeks to fill the American strategic and security vacuum for Saudi Arabia on the regional scene. Trump has done its best to support these countries, and now the new American administration, although on the surface, has withdrawn some of its support for Saudi Arabia, including in the war in Yemen.
2. Saudi Arabia has always been a dependent actor in ensuring its security, and under the first option, France is now seeking to put in place a plan to sell major weapons to Riyadh beforehand. On the one hand, this financing stabilizes France’s status in the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, and on the other hand, France earns significant financial income.
3. The French presidential election will take place next year and Macron needs a strong sponsor to be able to obtain votes by injecting money into the national economic market. Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed ben Salmane will be a good option for Macron.
4. France has always played a negative role in the nuclear agreement. Similarly, one should not forget the obvious role and influence of Zionist lobbies on France’s decisions, which is why Macron said that in addition to Saudi Arabia, the Zionist regime must also be included in the talks with Iran.
The Paris strategy is in fact a triangle composed of Saudi demands to limit Iran’s zone of influence in the region, missile negotiations at the request of the Zionist regime and a reversal of Iran’s nuclear progress at the request of the majority of the CMP players. One can therefore say that all the demands of the other actors are expressed through France, and in the meantime, Paris is more of an interventionist and intrusive actor.
5. The proposals made by the Americans for Iran to respect its commitments in exchange for the lifting of sanctions are mainly due to the demands of France and the Zionist lobby. The actors behind this scenario seek to push Iran to fulfill its obligations once again and not gain special points in return.
Consequently, in a dual scenario, France seeks, on the one hand, new actors to enter into negotiations with Iran to achieve results, and on the other hand, invoking global issues to negotiate, it seeks the support of certain countries, such as Saudi Arabia, in order to guarantee its own financial resources and internal objectives.
by Xavier Cuesta – European Correspondent – EuroNews