France stresses necessity of ensuring Iran deal prevents it from acquiring nuclear weapons

Paris, July 2 (KUNA) -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stressed the need for the agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East to ensure that Tehran does not acquire nuclear weapons. The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday evening that this was discussed during a phone call between Barrot and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The statement clarified that the two ministers discussed the implementation of the memorandum of understanding reached between the United States and Iran, which was signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in Versailles on June 17. The statement noted that the French minister emphasized “the necessity of reaching a robust and verifiable agreement that ensures Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons.” On another note, the two ministers welcomed the framework agreement concluded between Lebanon and Israeli occupation forces, as well as “the decisive role played by the United States.” The statement added that the French minister reiterated his country’s readiness to contribute to the implementation of the agreement, enabling the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty, restricting weapons to state control, and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanese territory. The two ministers also discussed the situation in Ukraine following “constructive discussions” held on the sidelines of the recent Group of Seven (G7) summit in Évian, as well as preparations for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit scheduled in Ankara on July 7 and 8. (End) M.B./S.H.D.