The invite came in a letter addressed to Rouhani from French President Francois Hollande which Fabius delivered on his trip to the Iranian capital, two weeks after a nuclear deal was struck between the Islamic republic and world powers.
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The following is the English translation of statements made by the Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Jawad Zarif at the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, in Baghdad on 27th July 2015.
If Rouhani accepts, he will be the first Iranian president to make a state visit to France since 1999.
Former US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who led the secret US diplomacy with Iran, told Al-Monitor that implementing the Iran nuclear deal the first year will be critical to ensuring its durability.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir pointed out that Tehran is still showing ” hostility” towards regional countries and that Iran’s actions do not show any will to have good relations with its neighbors.
The United States designates Iran and Syria as “state sponsors of terrorism” and Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization”. As I’ve said before nothing in this deal is built on trust. Before sanctions were imposed against Iran over its nuclear program, vehicle makers Peugeot and Renault were major players in the Iranian auto industry while and Total was also involved in the country’s oil sector.
Mogherini flew in from talks in Iran s regional rival Saudi Arabia, whose leaders told her of their deep misgivings about Tehran s intentions.
Writing on the op-ed page of Britain’s Guardian newspaper, Mogherini said EU foreign ministers have tasked her with exploring “ways in which the EU could actively promote a more cooperative regional framework” in the wake of the Vienna deal.
U.S. officials and analysts have become increasingly concerned about portions of the deal that will unilaterally lift current restrictions on Iran’s importation and exportation of weapons, as well as its missile construction programs.
Fabius is seeking to smooth over any strains in the relationship created by France’s hard line during negotiations that produced a historic nuclear agreement on July 14, and thereby create a climate conducive to stronger economic ties.
As Congress continued to debate whether to support the nuclear accord or oppose it, America’s allies began working to shore up their diplomatic relations with Iran.
Mogherini said that while the accord was on the nuclear issue it could have a broader impact as it was “not the end of a process…it s a beginning”. Many expressed hope Iran would re-engage with the West, and take its rightful place at the world’s top tables.
“We want to start a new chapter in a sense of common interest”, Zarif added, mentioning “the fight against terrorism” in a nod to possibly greater cooperation in fighting IS militants in Iraq and Syria.
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They suspect the agreement will give Iran more leeway to back allies in proxy wars from Yemen to Syria by freeing Shi’ite Muslim Iran from global pressure and sanctions.
