Macron Expresses Concern to Netanyahu About Iran's Nuclear Program Path

The French presidency announced that Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, expressed his deep concern during a conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, regarding the trajectory of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. According to the statement, Macron emphasized that France and its partners will exert pressure on the Islamic Republic to ensure that Tehran respects its international commitments in the nuclear field. Reuters reported that the French presidency released this statement following a phone conversation between Emmanuel Macron and Benjamin Netanyahu. The statement was published just hours after France, the United Kingdom, and Germany presented a resolution regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear oversight body, on Monday, June 3. These three European countries previously issued a joint statement to the IAEA Board regarding the implementation of Iran's nuclear commitments under the JCPOA, including a call for the Iranian government to immediately cease its policy of escalating nuclear tensions, refrain from threatening to produce nuclear weapons, and cooperate with the Agency. Meanwhile, Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization, stated on Tuesday, June 4, that 'if a resolution is passed or political pressure is applied, we will definitely react, and we have announced this.' He added, 'We are in a phase of reducing commitments, and our criterion is the Strategic Action Law of the Islamic Consultative Assembly for lifting sanctions.' Eslami's threatening remarks came a day after Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, commented on the status of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and the likelihood of a resolution against Iran at the Board of Governors meeting. Grossi stated that the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran, including uranium enriched up to 60%, continues to increase. Regarding the Agency's oversight of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, which Tehran has limited, he noted that the Agency's information on the production of centrifuges and their stored quantities, rotors and blowers of centrifuges, heavy water, and uranium ore concentrate is fragmented. The IAEA Director General emphasized that there has been no progress in resolving the safeguards issues between the Agency and Tehran. He added that the Iranian government has not provided 'credible technical explanations' regarding human-origin uranium particles discovered in Varamin and Torqozabad and has not informed the Agency about the current locations of those materials or any contaminated equipment. Grossi also commented on the statements of various Iranian officials regarding the government's ability to produce nuclear weapons and the potential change in Tehran's nuclear doctrine, stating that this issue 'only increases my concerns about the accuracy and completeness of Iran's safeguards statements.'