French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that Iran’s nuclear programme poses a growing risk and called for immediate diplomatic efforts to regain control over it.
“Iran’s nuclear programme is a threat, and there can be no complacency on this matter,” Macron said in Paris on Friday.
But he did not offer support for Israel’s ongoing airstrikes on Iran, saying: “No one can seriously claim that current military operations are a response to this threat.”
He noted that Iran’s nuclear facilities are heavily protected and that the exact location of the country’s stockpile of 60 per cent enriched uranium is currently unknown.
“This is a programme that must once again be brought under control through technical oversight and negotiations,” he stressed. “Resuming substantive talks must be an absolute priority.”
Macron said that France, Britain and Germany were aligning their positions when it comes to Iran.
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The foreign ministers of the three countries are set to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi around 3 pm (1300 GMT) in Geneva.
Macron said that the European powers would put forward a proposal for a diplomatic solution comprising several points.
They include the International Atomic Energy Agency resuming its work in Iran with a view to ensuring that there is no enrichment and that it has access to all facilities, plus the curtailing of Iran’s ballistic activities and the financing of its regional proxies.
Al Jazeera reports that Iran recently called off further talks scheduled for Oman after Isreal began its unprovoked attacks.
A senior US official later confirmed that the nuclear talks will no longer be happening. The official told The Associated Press news agency that although the talks were off, “we remain committed to talks and hope the Iranians will come to the table soon,” speaking anonymously to discuss diplomatic matters.
Earlier, Iran had clearly intimated that the continuation of nuclear talks with the US was unjustifiable while “barbarous” Israeli attacks target the nation, Iranian state media reported, quoting Araghchi.
It seemed inevitable that the talks would fall victim to the sudden, massive escalation by Israel and Iran’s retaliation.
Tehran branded dialogue over its nuclear programme with the US as “meaningless” after Israel launched its biggest-ever military strike against Iran, which Tehran accuses Washington, DC, of supporting.
“The other side [the US] acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime [Israel] to target Iran’s territory,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying on Saturday.
The US has denied the Iranian allegation of being complicit in Israel’s attacks and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump has called the Israeli attacks on Iran “excellent” after initially warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against action that could jeopardise nuclear talks.
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