French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian speaks at a joint press conference with the Turkish foreign minister (not pictured) following a meeting at the Presidential Complex in the Turkish capital Ankara on September 14, 2017. (AFP Photo/Adem Altan)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Tuesday he will soon travel to Iran to prepare a visit by President Emmanuel Macron and raise concerns about Tehran’s missile programs and regional role.
The visit comes as France is hoping to salvage the nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers after US President Donald Trump refused to certify the agreement, leaving its fate to Congress.
Speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Le Drian again defended the nuclear deal saying it “removes the possibility for Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.”
“But that does not prevent us from being firm and demanding on the other issues” such as Iran’s missile program and it regional activities, he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron looks on during a joint address to the media on June 8, 2017 in Paris. (AFP/Patrick Kovarik)
Iran has been criticized for providing military backing for Syrian President Bashar Assad and support to Shiite rebels in Yemen as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
Le Drian said he would raise those concerns during his visit expected to take place during the second half of November.
Macron would be the first French president to visit Iran since 1976, but the foreign minister did not give dates for that trip.
Advertisement
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
