US and France Discuss Nuclear Agreement with Iran

Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State, met with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday as part of Washington's efforts to persuade European allies to amend the "flaws" of the nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA. According to the Associated Press, Jean-Yves Le Drian emphasized the necessity for all parties to adhere to the implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran before meeting with Rex Tillerson. The French Foreign Minister stated, "There is a fundamental principle that we are very firm on, which is to maintain (the nuclear agreement with Iran) as long as it is respected." He added, "If Iran has complied with this (agreement), given that the International Atomic Energy Agency's report states this, we have no reason not to believe it, and the signatory parties (to this agreement) must also adhere to their commitments." Jean-Yves Le Drian stressed that when an agreement is signed, each signatory must respect it. He (Rex Tillerson) knows this. Meanwhile, Rex Tillerson expressed optimism on Monday about garnering European support for the US position regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, stated on January 12 that he would extend the suspension of nuclear sanctions against Iran for the last time and gave Congress and European parties four months to amend the "catastrophic flaws" of the JCPOA, or else the US would withdraw from it. After meeting with Theresa May, the Prime Minister, Mark Sedwill, the National Security Advisor, and Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary, Rex Tillerson announced that they had agreed to form a working group of experts to address the "deficiencies" of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the six world powers. The US Secretary of State stated after meeting with his British counterpart that he believes the European Troika has a common viewpoint that there are certain areas (in the nuclear agreement) or certain behaviors of Iran that need to be addressed. The European Troika includes Britain, France, and Germany, which, along with the US, China, and Russia, were negotiating with the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding its nuclear program. Mr. Tillerson specifically pointed to Iran's ballistic missile program, which is not mentioned in the JCPOA, as well as clauses in this agreement that allow Iran to gradually resume its advanced nuclear activities. Meanwhile, the French Foreign Minister expressed concern on Monday about Iran's destabilizing actions in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. He called for serious implementation of UN Resolution 2231 regarding Iran's missile program. Previously, the French Foreign Ministry had stated that Paris is concerned about the speed of Iran's missile program, which is not endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and is a source of instability and insecurity in the region. UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorses the nuclear agreement between Iran and the six world powers, calls on Iran to refrain from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran claims that its missiles are not produced for carrying nuclear warheads, as it fundamentally does not intend to produce such weaponry. Tehran states that its missile program is "defensive" and that halting it is not on the agenda.