France looks to fan nuke deal momentum with Iran’s minister

The Iranian foreign minister is also scheduled to meet with his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault, President of France’s National Assembly Claude Bartolone, and Senate President Gerard Larcher.

In an indirect reference to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s criticism of the comprehensive nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers, Zarif said French companies and banks “should not be anxious about the campaign rhetoric of a candidate in America, because no one can tear up the nuclear deal” or renegotiate the deal.

Under the deal, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the USA would be lifted. A leading French official noted a psychological dimension at play in dealings with Iran, which has long had a pariah status in the West that can not be immediately undone. The official asked not to be identified because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter. “Paris wants sanctions lifted fully and will work for it seriously”, Ayrault said reassuring he had wasted no time to discuss the banking issues with USA counterpart John Kerry.

Zarif is also scheduled to address reporters and journalists and attend an exclusive interview with the Paris-based television news channel France 24. France has been a leading voice in pressing for the departure of Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

“Iran’s Foreign Ministry has sought and continues to seek a peaceful solution for the countries in the region through giving assurances, and therefore putting a man well-versed in the region’s crises stems from the [Foreign] Ministry’s desire to promote peaceful solutions at the global events, which are associated with both the Syrian and Yemeni issues”.

The Jordanian foreign minister paid a visit to Tehran in March 2015 and held talks with senior Iranian officials on ways to promote Tehran-Amman ties and leading developments in the Middle East region such as the fight against terrorism and extremism.

“In Syria, there never was or will be a military solution”, he said in Farsi, through a translator.

France has been a leader in reaching out to a post-sanctions Iran, with a string of business deals announced soon after the worldwide nuclear accord with Iran was implemented in January.

But Iran’s ongoing human rights abuses have undercut its credibility and have bound the hands of many foreign investors and diplomats who are hesitant to invest in a country which regular hangs political dissidents, detains citizens without explanation, and restricts civil liberties.

Air France restarted flights to Tehran in April.

After his European tour, Zarif will travel to Uzbek capital Tashkent in order to participate in a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization June 23-24.