Iran rejects French call for wider talks

AFP  |  Tehran 

rejected France's call for talks on issues beyond the nuclear dossier on Friday, saying it was impossible so long as Western powers failed to meet existing commitments.

French said Thursday that must be open to discussions on its missile programme and regional interventions. But Ghasemi said must first show it can salvage the 2015 nuclear deal following the withdrawal of the in May and its reimposition of sanctions.

"The European authorities have up to now repeatedly stated their position but have not succeeded in presenting the necessary and sufficient guarantees that we are awaiting... to preserve the international agreement," he said.

"The Iranian people have no other solution than to be mistrustful towards them while their commitments are not being fulfilled." Le Drian's latest comments echoed some of the reasons given by US Donald

Trump for his withdrawal from the nuclear agreement.

"cannot avoid discussions, negotiations on three other major subjects that worry us -- the future of Iran's nuclear commitments after 2025, the ballistic question... and the role Iran plays to stabilise the whole region," Le Drian said in

Iran denies seeking and says its missiles are a legitimate defence against much more heavily armed rivals.

The 2015 deal lifted international sanctions in exchange for curbs to Iran's nuclear programme.

The said Thursday that Iran was still keeping to its commitments.

But the return of US sanctions has led most European firms to abandon projects in Iran and is already impacting its ahead of a second wave of measures targeting its in November.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, August 31 2018. 22:20 IST