Iran not to abide by extra commitments; Rouhani

In the phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron late on Sunday, President Hassan Rouhani referred to the fact that Iran attaches particular importance to strengthening relations with France, saying "given the great potential for cooperation between the two countries on political, cultural, economic and regional issues, we are determined to strengthen our relations with France in all fields."

In the phone conversation that took over an hour, Rouhani said “sustainability of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) brings about regional security and cooperation. The basis of our relations is trust, and the JCPOA is the first important basis for trust between Iran and Western countries."

"In recent days, Iran has made very important decisions on banking, foreign exchange and other economic matters," said Rouhani, adding that the Americans' stance against the JCPOA is an explicit violation of the agreement between the seven countries.

He added “we have considered a variety of responses for any decision that the United States is going to make on May 12."

The president emphasized “even if the US announces on May 12 that it will stay in the JCPOA, while going on with the way it has been going in the past two years, it won’t be acceptable for us,” adding that the current conduct of the United States would be a breach of the JCPOA and create fear and ambiguity for different countries and businesses for their relations with Iran.

Dr Rouhani also stressed that the future of the JCPOA after 2025 would be determined by international rules and regulations, and that Iran does not accept any restrictions beyond its obligations, and said "JCPOA and any other issue under this pretext are by no means negotiable."

“As it has already shown, Iran is ready to negotiate to ensure regional stability and security, in particular to combat terrorism,” he continued.

President of France stressed in the phone call that Tehran-Paris cooperation must be developed in all areas of mutual interest, saying “the European Union, in particular France, fully defend the JCPOA and we will definitely stay in it."

Macron also stated that the JCPOA contributes to confidence building, security and stability in the region, saying "the specific position of France and Europeans is to remain in the framework of the JCPOA, and we also call on you to remain in the agreement."

He stressed that the European Union and France would accept the JCPOA as it is.

French president added “France has consistently wanted a stable Middle East and believes that the JCPOA is an important model for solving the problems and issues of this region and should be preserved and adhered to by all parties, and this was an important point that I explicitly announced before the United States Congress."

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