Iran urges France to avoid 'absurd nonsense' over its nuclear weapons' capacity

On Sunday, January 17, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the claim by France that Tehran was in the process of building up its nuclear weapons is “absurd nonsense”. This comes after French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in an interview said that Iran was building up its nuclear weapons' capacity. He also said that it was important for Iran and the US to come back to its 2015 nuclear agreement. 

In a tweet, Zarif wrote, “Dear colleague: You kick-started your cabinet career with arms sales to Saudi war criminals. Avoid absurd nonsense about Iran”. He also said, “Reality check: YOU are destabilizing OUR region. Stop protecting criminals who chainsaw their critics and use YOUR arms to slaughter children in Yemen”. In another tweet he wrote, “E3 leaders—who rely on signature of OFAC functionaries to carry out their obligations under JCPOA—have done ZILCH to maintain JCPOA. Remember @EmmanuelMacron's stillborn initiative or UK non-payment of court-ordered debt? JCPOA is alive because of Iran and not E3, @JY_LeDrian”. 

'Deeply concerned' 

In a separate development, France and Britain urged Iran to back off the latest violation of its 2015 nuclear deal saying that Tehran has “no credible civilian use” for uranium metal. As per reports by AP, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran had informed that it had begun installing equipment for the production of uranium metal. It also said that Tehran is still on its plans on conducting research and development on uranium metal production.

Read: 'Deeply Concerned' By Nuke Deal Violation, Germany, France & UK Ask Iran To 'back Off'

The European powers, in a statement, said that they are “deeply concerned” by the latest Iranian announcement. The statement said, “Iran has no credible civilian use for uranium metal. The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications”. It added, “We strongly urge Iran to halt this activity, and return to compliance with its JCPoA commitments without further delay if it is serious about preserving the deal”. The statement comes from the foreign ministers of German, French and Britain. 

Read: Iran Warns Of Expelling United Nations Nuclear Inspectors If US Doesn't Lift Sanctions

Recently, EU officials supervising the agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions have warned that Tehran's decision to ramp up uranium enrichment could undermine efforts to keep the deal alive and bring the United States back on board. According to AP reports, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the country’s aim of enriching uranium up to 20 percent at the Fordo facility is a "very serious" development. He also said that it is a matter of concern as it has "very severe proliferation implications”. After US President Donald Trump won the elections in 2016, he withdrew the United States from the Obama-era deal, calling it "rotten".

Read: Iran Holds Anti-warship Ballistic Missile Drill

Also Read: 'Taking Decisive Steps': France Shuts Down 9 Places Of Worship To Curb Islamic Extremism

(Image Credits: Unsplash/AP)