After Trump rebuke, France says it speaks for itself on Iran
France
does not need the permission of other states to try to defuse tensions with
Iran, its foreign minister said on Friday after US President Donald Trump
accused President Emmanuel Macron of sending “mixed signals” to Tehran.
“France
speaks for itself on Iran as a sovereign power,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le
Drian said in a written statement.
“France
is deeply committed to peace and security in the region, is committed to
de-escalating tensions and does not need any authorization to do so.”
Trump
on Thursday had said no one was permitted to speak to Iran on behalf of the
United States, after a report this week said Macron had invited Iran’s
President Hassan Rouhani to this month’s G7 summit to meet the US president.
A
French diplomat denied the invitation had been made.
Washington’s
major European allies – Britain, France and Germany – have been at odds with the
Trump administration over Iran since last year, when Trump pulled the United
States out of an international deal to give Iran access to world trade in
return for curbs to its nuclear program.
While
the Europeans say they share US concerns about Iran’s regional behavior and
missile program, they believe pulling out of the nuclear agreement was a
mistake.
In
recent months the United States has sharply tightened sanctions on Iran with
the aim of halting its oil exports. The Europeans have warned that heightened
confrontation could lead to an accidental war in the Gulf.
Le
Drian did not make a direct reference to Trump’s remarks. The diplomatic
sparring is the latest in a series of terse exchanges between Washington and
Paris ahead of the G7 meeting later this month.
In
late July, Trump blasted the “foolishness” of Macron for pressing ahead with a
tax on big tech companies, and threatened to tax French wines in retaliation.
One French minister called Trump’s comments “completely moronic”.
Iran
will be a hot-button topic at the G7 summit in Biarritz. The European countries
still hope to salvage the nuclear deal, although Iran has begun to scale down
its cooperation with it in response to US sanctions.
Britain
was drawn deeper into the confrontation last month when it seized an Iranian
tanker accused of violating sanctions on Syria. Iran responded by seizing a
British tanker. London has since said it will join a US-led mission to boost
security in the Gulf; France and Germany have so far held back.
“The
aggravation of tensions requires political initiatives that create the
conditions for dialogue. That’s what President Macron is doing, in all
transparency,” Le Drian said. “He is of course keeping the US authorities
informed.”