Zarif: Europe must find ways to relieve pressure on Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris that the French proposals aimed at making progress in the crisis of the Iranian nuclear agreement are moving in the right direction.

The Iranian foreign minister's meeting with the French president came on the eve of the Group of Seven summit in France on Saturday.

Zarif said Macron would discuss the issue with European and other partners to clarify the direction in which it could proceed.

Zarif declined to give details of the proposals, saying only that Europe must find ways to ease pressure on Iran even if the United States is no longer a party to the agreement.

He added that "France has presented Iran with a proposal on how to implement the nuclear agreement, and the steps needed to be taken by the parties, and we also made a proposal for the full implementation of the nuclear agreement."

Zarif stressed that if Iran proves that Europe will start to fulfill its obligations under the nuclear agreement, then it will stop the measures taken to activate its nuclear program.

He said he did not believe that Washington was holding all the papers on the file, pointing out that Europe and the international community can "take the necessary measures to maintain the agreement."

Zarif stressed that Iran did not want war with the United States, but warned that the intensification of the Western naval presence in the Gulf increased the risk of accidents that analysts say may have triggered a large-scale confrontation.

tension
Tensions over Iran's nuclear program have risen in recent months after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

Iran is trying to pressure Europeans seeking to maintain the deal to get them to take measures to circumvent US sanctions that harm its economy and cause the Iranian people "enormous suffering," Zarif said.

Tehran has threatened to abandon other commitments if other parties fail to help it bypass US sanctions, particularly those related to the sale of oil and gas.

European countries are struggling to salvage Iran's nuclear deal, and European allies are also eyeing whether there will be any change in Britain's approach, particularly on Iran under Brexit.

"We strongly support" Iran's nuclear deal, a British diplomatic source said. "We think it is very important that Iran does not get nuclear weapons. I don't think you will see any change in the British government's position," he said.

The source said it was necessary for Iran to comply fully with the agreement, but there would be no radical change in approach, although Prime Minister Boris Johnson will listen to the position of the United States.

The three European powers - France, Britain and Germany - remained united despite Washington's pressure, with Paris leading the effort to de-escalate as Iran gradually reduces some of its obligations under the deal.