Iran to “reconsider” ties with Europe in case of new sanctions

Tabnak – While the European parties of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran are yet to fulfill their commitments to provide Iran with the economic benefits of the deal, the French government has threatened to impose new sanctions on Iran the country’s missile program. In response, Iran warns that it may reconsider ties with Europe.

In this vein, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s threat to impose sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles, reiterating that Tehran’s missile power is non-negotiable.

“Iran’s military capabilities are part of the country’s legitimate defense power and a guarantor of the Islamic Republic’s national security, which is based on the doctrine of deterrence,” Bahram Qassemi said on Friday, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

He also made it clear that Iran has shaped its defense capabilities on the basis of a realistic assessment of the existing threats and will strengthen them to the extent it deems necessary.

“Iran’s missile power is non-negotiable and this fact has been conveyed to the French side in continuous political dialogue between Iran and France,” Qassemi said.

The spokesman added that the French foreign minister’s threat to impose new missile sanctions is against the spirit of political talks and cooperation between the two countries, stressing that any new sanctions by European states would convince Iran to reconsider its interaction with those countries.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been seeking consolidation of peace and stability in the region, and believes the mass sales of sophisticated and aggressive weapons by the US and some European countries, including France, have undermined stability and balance in the region,” he concluded.

Qassemi’s remarks came after the top French diplomat said his country is ready to impose further sanctions on Iran if no progress is made in talks over Tehran’s ballistic missile program. “We are ready, if the talks don’t yield results, to apply sanctions firmly, and they know it,” Le Drian told reporters.

Diplomats previously told Reuters that new sanctions being considered by EU countries over the missile issue could include asset freezes and travel bans on the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRCG) and people involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program.

Le Drian’s threatening remarks come as the European Union is expected to launch its exclusive payment mechanism, known as Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), for facilitating non-dollar trade with Iran in a bid to circumvent the US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

In May 2018, US President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, under which Tehran agreed to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions, and decided to re-impose unilateral sanctions against Tehran.