Conflicting Reports on France's 'Request' for New Sanctions Against Iran

Simultaneously with Hassan Rouhani's visit to Paris, the Associated Press reported that France has asked the European Union to impose new sanctions on Iran due to its recent missile tests. This report, published on Wednesday, February 7, cites two unnamed EU officials and states that France raised the issue of sanctions against Iran during last week's meeting of foreign ministers from the 28 EU member states in Brussels. According to these two EU officials, the members of the Union are considering France's proposal, but most EU members believe that such a proposal is counterproductive given the implementation of the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers and the efforts made to revive political and commercial relations with Tehran. Shortly after the news was released, however, Reuters reported that EU diplomats and a French official denied the news. According to Reuters, a European diplomat who wished to remain anonymous stated that 'such a request has not been made.' This diplomat emphasized that Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, was 'not present' at last week's Brussels meeting. International sanctions against Iran's nuclear program were lifted on January 15, but the long-range missile test of 'Emad' conducted in October put Tehran at risk of further sanctions from the United States, as less than a day after the nuclear agreement was implemented, Washington placed 11 individuals and entities associated with Iran's missile program on its sanctions list. At that time, Laurent Fabius also announced that the EU was considering the possibility of sanctioning Iran, but the Associated Press's report that France requested sanctions against Iran was not discussed until the day of Hassan Rouhani's visit to Paris. The Associated Press states that neither the French government nor the EU responded to its request for comment on this matter. A French diplomat, who agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity, mentioned that as Mr. Fabius stated, the EU is considering potential sanctions against Iran. However, he did not specify which country raised the request for sanctions against Iran. Tehran has previously emphasized that 'Iran's missile program is in no way designed for the capability to carry nuclear weapons and therefore does not contradict any international norms.'