Rouhani had dispatched Araghchi as his special envoy to deliver the message to France and meet French officials in Paris. In his meeting with Macron, the two sides conferred on a wide range of regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Ways to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, the need to preserve Iran nuclear deal, and using the means of diplomacy to establish stability and security in the region were among topics of discussion during the meeting.
According to a statement by the French Foreign Ministry, Araghchi had also held in-depth talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian before meeting the country’s president.
The statement says that French officials have conveyed to the Iranian diplomat their expectation for Tehran’s quick return to the nuclear deal and also to take necessary steps to de-escalate tensions in the region.
Regional tensions raised initially in May 2018 when the United States unilaterally withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and re-imposed harsh sanctions on Iran’s economy, targeting its oil exports and banking relations. Despite this violation, Tehran adhered to its commitments under the deal, as was endorsed by IAEA, but other parties failed in safeguarding Iran’s economic interests.
One year after US’ pullout, Iran announced that it is reducing its commitments to the deal step by step, noting that the measure is taken according to the agreement’s terms and as a way to balance the commitments. Tehran said all these reductions of commitments are reversible as soon as other parties put up a protective wall for its economy against US sanctions.
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