China, France say Iran nuclear deal should be fully implemented

In response to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s statement that the Islamic Republic will resume high level enrichment of uranium if world powers did not keep their promises under the agreement, both China and France issued warnings against the move.

China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement should be fully implemented and all sides have a responsibility to ensure it happens.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the remarks during a daily briefing.

“We call on all relevant parties to exercise restraint, strengthen dialogue, and avoid escalating tensions,” he said, adding that China “resolutely opposes” unilateral US sanctions against Iran.

Also France’s defense minister reacted to Iranian President’s statement by saying that France wanted to keep the Iran 2015 nuclear deal alive and warned that if Iran were to not keep to its commitments then the question of triggering a mechanism that could lead to sanctions would be on the table.

Speaking to BFM TV, Defense Minister Florence Parly said nothing would be worse than Iran withdrawing from the deal and that France ,Britain and Germany were doing all they could to keep the accord alive.

China and France are among the six parties that signed a 2015 deal to lift nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in return for Tehran’s agreement to rein in nuclear activities and ease fears it was seeking the capability to produce an atomic bomb.

The US renewed sanctions on Iran have had a severe effect on the Iranian economy.

Tehran has warned that if the five other parties to the agreement - China, Britain, France, Germany and Russia - failed to deliver on their commitments within 60 days to help Iran benefit from the deal despite the US sanctions, it would suspend other key limits set by the deal.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weaponry.

(With Agencies)