Donald Trump said he did not want to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the sidelines of the G7 summit in French Biarritz. The owner of the White House said this before meeting with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Later, the US president added that under “appropriate circumstances” a top-level US-Iran summit could be held.
Zarifa, which Washington had previously included in the sanctions lists, was invited to the summit by French President Emmanuel Macron, and this was announced on the day the minister arrived in the country. The fact that Zarif had already visited France on the eve of the G7 also attracted the attention of journalists.
Reuters reported that Trump did not know about plans to call for the summit of the Iranian Foreign Minister. Some media outlets, citing sources in the US administration, even stated that the American leader was furious with this fact.
Trump tried to dispel these rumors and the answer to the question whether he considers such a move by Macron disrespectful, answered in the negative.
“Macron asked me in conversation. I said: if you want, I do not mind. I don’t see any disrespect here, especially considering that he agreed with me, ”said the owner of the White House.
Speaking about the possibility of meeting with Zarif on the sidelines of the summit, he noted that the time has not yet come for this.
At the same time, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the French side initially had no hopes that Trump and Zarif would meet. The absence of such plans was announced by the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
In France, Zarif held talks with Macron, which lasted about an hour. They were also attended by diplomatic advisers from Germany and Great Britain. In addition, the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry met with the French ministers of foreign affairs and finance.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif in talks with Emmanuel Macron
- © Javad Zarif
“Last Friday in Paris, we discussed a number of issues with the French President and Minister of Foreign Affairs. We needed to conduct another round of negotiations in order to touch on several aspects, including the banking sector and oil export, ”Zarifa quotes TASS.
Nothing to offer
According to a researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergey Fedorov, Zarif was called to the summit in order to try to save the nuclear deal.
“Zarifa was invited to somehow save the JCPOA from the final degradation, to encourage them to find some compromise solution,” he said in an interview with RT.
Moreover, the expert believes that the United States most likely knew about this visit in advance.
“The visit of the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry was planned. It was an initiative of France, which enlisted the support of all participants in this forum, including the United States, ”the analyst said.
A similar point of view is shared by the professor of Moscow State University, an expert on the Middle East, Alexander Vavilov. He believes that Macron really warned his American counterpart about the visit of Zarif, but Washington did not expect that the minister in France would be received at the highest level.
“Macron called on the Iranian Foreign Minister not without the knowledge of the United States. The Americans hoped that Zarif would come, bow and ask for something, but it turned out the other way around: he had serious negotiations with his French counterpart, met with Macron, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.
According to Vavilov, Trump refused to meet, because he simply has nothing to offer Tehran in conditions when Washington is trying to force Iran to make concessions.
“The US president refused to meet with the Iranian foreign minister because he has nothing to say. He cannot offer the Iranians a constructive solution. Trump’s policy of putting pressure on Iran, forcing him to back down, to break the JCPOA is not justified. The Americans received only an aggravation of the situation and additional tension and expenses. For example, the capture of Iranian tankers in Gibraltar, which were subsequently released, ”the analyst said.
- Iranian government plane at Biarritz Airport, where the G7 Summit was held
- Reuters
- © Regis Duvignau
He added that this behavior of the White House once again showed "the lack of any coherent strategy by the American administration" in the Iranian direction.
“Trump has once again demonstrated that he does not have a political course with regard to Iran, but only throwing one way, then the other,” Vavilov said.
In turn, Fedorov believes that Trump refused to meet, because he is not yet ready to change rhetoric regarding Iran so quickly: after all, before that he had been trying for many months to speak exclusively from a position of strength.
“After what he said about Iran and the Iranian agreement, it will be hard for the American president to turn back and change his position dramatically,” the expert said.
Oil issue
The United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA) in 2018. This agreement, concluded between Iran and five members of the UN Security Council (Russia, the USA, China, France and the UK), as well as Germany, provided for the lifting of sanctions from the Islamic Republic in exchange for Tehran’s limitation of nuclear development.
After leaving the JCPOA, Washington announced the restoration of sanctions against Iran. This issue caused a discord between Washington and its allies in Europe, which not only refused to break the deal, but also began to work out measures to protect European companies cooperating with Tehran from extraterritorial sanctions of the United States.
However, Iran was dissatisfied with Europe’s efforts in this direction: European companies began to leave the republic, and the effect of the US withdrawal from the transaction seriously affected the country's economy. As a result, in order to encourage signatories to more active actions to protect their interests, Tehran began to abandon part of its obligations under the JCPOA.
- G7 Leaders
- © Ian Langsdon / Pool via REUTERS
One of the key issues in this dispute was the export of oil from Iran to the EU. Due to US sanctions, the European Union refused to purchase Iranian black gold, which hit the economy of the country, which is largely dependent on energy exports.
According to Fedorov, France could discuss the possibility of lifting the embargo on the supply of Iranian raw materials in exchange for Tehran fulfilling the terms of the agreement in full.
“Now European countries admit the idea of giving Iran the opportunity to sell its oil, but on the condition that it will not continue to carry out the uranium enrichment procedure. The Americans, given the position of their allies in Europe, will not be so categorical, ”the expert said.
The role of an intermediary
Macron at a joint press conference with Trump on the basis of the G7 announced that he would like the leaders of the United States and Iran to meet in the coming weeks.
“At some point, a meeting between the presidents of the United States and Iran should take place, and I would like such a meeting to take place in the coming weeks,” Macron said. - I am ready to hold a meeting to conclude agreements. I want this meeting to take place. ”
Trump did not give a clear answer to this proposal, noting that the likelihood of holding such a summit depends on the circumstances.
“Under the right circumstances, of course, I would agree to that,” Trump said. “I suppose we are very likely to meet.”
- Emmanuel Macron
- Reuters
- © Philippe Wojazer
The head of the American state also emphasized that the United States does not seek a regime change in Iran.
In the absence of any dialogue between Washington and Tehran, Paris is trying to assume the function of mediator, Vavilov believes.
“The French leader mediates in the conflict between Iran and the United States, trying to build bridges so that the agreement that was reached is revived. Without exception, all Europeans who are members of the JCPOA are in favor of maintaining and promoting this plan, since they understand that in this case there is no alternative, ”he said.
Fedorov, in turn, noted that this was a “strong move” on the part of the French president. At the same time, he said, other European countries also do not support the US hard line.
“The fact that representatives of the United Kingdom and Germany were present at the meeting with Zarif demonstrates that these countries do not support the tough US policy and that they would like the Americans to deal with the Iranian nuclear issue more flexibly,” Fedorov said.
Interviewed by RT experts agreed that the G7 summit showed that all parties to the conflict exclude the possibility of resolving it by military means.
“The summit in France confirmed that most European states, as well as the United States, advocate resolving the situation politically and diplomatically,” Vavilov said.
It is possible that the arrival of Zarif and the consent of the United States to it may indicate that in the future Washington may go to soften its position with respect to Tehran, Sergei Fedorov believes.
“Washington agrees to some extent to adjust its tough stance and allow the easing of the unilateral sanctions that it imposed against Tehran, since Trump agreed to Zarif’s arrival,” the expert summed up.