Iran Criticizes Macron Over Assertion of ‘israeli’ Snapback as ‘Done Deal,’ Despite Tehran’s Reasonable Proposal Says Officials
Iran has voiced significant disapproval of French President Emmanuel Macron following his statements to an Israeli television outlet, where he dismissed a "reasonable" initiative proposed by Tehran intended to avert the reimplementation of sanctions. Macron characterized the situation as a "done deal," which has prompted criticism from Iran.
In a Friday post on his X account, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei questioned the rationale behind the French president’s dismissal of Tehran’s proposal, despite the president acknowledging its reasonableness.
Baghaei questioned the reasoning behind Macron’s urgency in choosing an Israeli television channel to dismiss what he acknowledges as a reasonable proposal from Iran. He also criticized Macron’s decision to assure his chosen audience that a snap-back is already finalized.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday, Macron indicated that Britain, France, and Germany, as signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are expected to likely reinstitute international sanctions on Iran by the end of the month.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that the so-called “snapback” sanctions will indeed be set in motion, asserting that Iran’s attempts to avert these measures were “not serious”.
The United Nations Security Council is set to cast their votes on Friday regarding the reintroduction of economic sanctions against Iran, a measure linked to the nation’s controversial nuclear energy program.
On August 28, the European troika informed the United Nations Security Council of their decision to activate the snapback mechanism, initiating a 30-day procedure to reinstate all UN sanctions on Iran.
Iran has dismissed the recent actions taken by Britain, France, and Germany, citing them as illegitimate. This stance comes in light of the United States’ unilateral exit from the JCPOA accord and the subsequent alignment of the European trio with what Iran views as unlawful sanctions, rather than adhering to their own obligations under the agreement.
In a phone conversation on Tuesday with French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the European troika’s invocation of the snapback mechanism is intended to “escalate tensions.”
Araghchi described the activation of the mechanism as an action lacking any political or legal significance, stating it was intended solely to heighten tension and escalate the crisis.
