TEHRAN, Iran (AP) March 7, 2018 – France’s foreign minister travelled to Tehran on Monday promising tough talk on Iran’s ballistic missile program but was met with stiff resistance from his Iranian counterpart, who said Western arms deals had turned the Middle East into a “gunpowder depot”.
From his first meeting with a military uniform-clad official, Jean-Yves Le Drian’s one-day trip highlighted the challenge Paris faces in challenging Iran while at the same time trying to keep the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers intact.
While French leaders, including President Emmanuel Macron, have criticized Iran’s missile program, French companies like oil giant Total SA, carmaker Renault and airplane manufacturer Airbus have bullishly entered the Iranian market after the atomic accord, complicating any possible sanctions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also made a point to mention France armed dictator Saddam Hussein during the bloody 1980s Iran-Iraq war.
“The United States and other countries that have turned our region into a gunpowder depot by selling arms must stop such actions,” Zarif said, according to a report by the semi-official ISNA news agency.
Iran insists its ballistic missile program is for purely defensive purposes, and has denied accusations by the US, France and the United Nations of supplying missile technology to Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have fired ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia.
“Iran has learned to rely on its deterrent power,” Zarif said.
Le Drian also met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who expressed hope that the 2015 nuclear deal could be preserved.
“It would be a point of regret for everyone” if the deal is not honored, Rouhani said, adding that his country is “ready to deal with any situation that is not agreeable to Iran”. Ahead of Le Drian’s trip, the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying he would pursue “a frank and demanding dialogue with Iran”.