Staunch French Defense of JCPOA

France on Monday staunchly defended the Iran nuclear deal, suggesting there could be talks to strengthen the pact for the post-2025 period.

“It is essential to maintain it to avoid proliferation. At present, when we see the risks with North Korea, we must maintain this line,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was quoted as saying by Reuters. “France will try to convince [US] President [Donald] Trump of the pertinence of this choice [keeping the accord] even if work can be done to complement the accord [after 2025, when some curbs on Tehran’s nuclear activities expire].”

Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders in New York, Le Drian said a collapse of the deal could lead to a regional arms race. Tehran’s nuclear program has no military aspects and is only for peaceful purposes, which have been confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency  

Key US allies are worried of the possibility of Trump unilaterally pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear work in exchange for sanctions relief.