French Minister Emphasizes Need to Address Iran's 'Regional and Ballistic Activities'

The French Minister of Defense emphasized the necessity of addressing Iran's 'regional and ballistic activities' in a speech on Friday, stating that abandoning the JCPOA would only aid the hardliners of the Islamic Republic. Florence Parly, the French Minister of Defense, announced the country's intention to resolve issues regarding Iran's 'missile program' and its 'destabilizing' behaviors during her speech at a think tank in Washington on October 20. According to Reuters, this French minister's speech comes after a report published by the same agency on Thursday, indicating that European Union leaders do not want to 'completely distance Washington' and are therefore considering ways to criticize the Islamic Republic's missile program while defending the JCPOA. Senior officials in the Trump administration have repeatedly pointed out that Iran's insistence on testing ballistic missiles is, in fact, not in line with the 'spirit of the JCPOA.' The European Union previously issued a statement on Monday expressing its support for maintaining the nuclear agreement with Iran, the JCPOA, while also considering Trump's declaration of Iran's non-compliance with the agreement as an internal U.S. issue. However, Reuters reported on Thursday that the European Union is 'in the early stages' of selecting a path to criticize Iran in two areas: missile testing and Iran's role in the Middle East. France was notably highlighted in this report. In this context, the French Minister of Defense stated that we must be 'very serious' about such activities by Iran. She said, 'We need to be very serious about Iran's destabilizing ballistic and regional activities. We are working on this.' Senior officials of the Islamic Republic, in contrast, claim that they seek ballistic missiles solely for the defense of Iranian territory and their deterrent aspect, asserting that they have never interfered and will not interfere in the internal affairs of neighboring countries and the broader Middle East. On Friday, in line with the European Union's overall policy regarding the JCPOA, the French Minister of Defense also defended the nuclear agreement of the 5+1 group with the Islamic Republic, stating that the West 'needs' this agreement. She remarked, 'Abandoning the JCPOA is merely a gift to Iran's hardliners and the first step towards future wars.' Donald Trump, the U.S. President, who has always been a staunch opponent of the nuclear agreement with Iran, ended several days of speculation on Friday, October 22, and refrained from certifying Iran's compliance with the agreement. Mr. Trump stated that 'based on credible information he has received, he is unable to certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement.' With his announcement of non-certification of Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, the U.S. Congress now has 60 days to decide whether to continue the agreement or impose new sanctions on Iran. As this two-month deadline begins, supporters of the JCPOA are making efforts from all sides to emphasize the effectiveness of the JCPOA and ensure that a potential U.S. withdrawal from this agreement will not nullify it.