REUTERS-France vowed on
Monday to act as defender of Iran's nuclear deal, which U.S. President Donald
Trump has threatened to tear up, but said it was imperative
Tehran abide
strictly by the conditions of the accord.
Arriving in the
Iranian capital for a two-day visit, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault
said it was in the "common interest" that the 2015 accord under which
Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for lifted sanctions was
obeyed.
During the U.S.
election race Trump had branded it "the worst deal ever negotiated",
telling voters he would either rip it up or seek a better agreement.
"I'm coming as
the defender of the accord, but to be vigilant and explain that they (the
Iranians) must be irreproachable," Jean-Marc Ayrault told reporters after
landing in Tehran.
"We harbor real
concerns about the U.S. administration's attitude towards this agreement,"
he said.
The deal was
brokered by the United States, Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France.
Paris took one of the hardest lines against Tehran in the negotiations, but has
been quick to restore trade ties.
Major French
corporations including planemaker Airbus, oil major Total and automobile
manufacturers Peugeot and Renault have all signed deals.
Ayrault said that
while Tehran had "largely" kept to the terms of the deal, it had
pushed the spirit of the accord over the past year by carrying out several
ballistic missile tests.
"We want this
agreement to be respected. It is in the common interest of the international
community that it is," Ayrault said.
The foreign minister
is due to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad
Javad Zarif and the powerful Secretary of Supreme National Security Council,
Ali Shamkhani.
The visit, which
includes an economic conference where some contracts may be concluded, will
provide an opportunity for talks on Syria. Paris is a vociferous opponent of
Iran's backing of Syria's leader, Bashar al-Assad.
"We will
discuss our disagreements, notably on Syria. "We had hoped Iran would be
less aggressive in the region," Ayrault said, referring to the period
since the nuclear deal.
On Sunday, Trump
spoke by telephone with Saudi Arabia's King Salman, a close U.S.-ally in the
Middle East. A White House statement said the two leaders agreed on the need to
address "Iran's destabilizing regional activities."
REUTERS
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