Jean-Noel Barrot is pushing for renewing the controversial JCPOA agreement as the U.S. and Israel exchange threats with the Islamic Republic.
By Canaan Lidor, JNS
France’s foreign minister warned on Wednesday that a military confrontation with Iran “would seem to be almost inevitable” unless world powers reach a new nuclear agreement with Tehran soon.
Jean-Noël Barrot’s comments in parliament came after French President Emmanuel Macron held a rare, undisclosed meeting with key ministers and experts to discuss Iran’s nuclear dossier, Reuters reported.
European powers have said they are pushing for a diplomatic solution to curb Iran’s uranium enrichment before U.N. sanctions tied to the 2015 nuclear deal expire in October 2025. Iran’s nuclear program is a covert effort to develop atomic weapons, according to Israel, the United States, France and other Western countries. Iran denies this claim.
“The window of opportunity is narrow. We only have a few months until the expiration of this (2015) accord. In case of failure, a military confrontation would seem to be almost inevitable,” Barrot told lawmakers.
During his first term in office, U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA. Led by his predecessor, Barack Obama, despite Israeli objections, the deal had imposed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear activities for 10 years in exchange for sanctions relief.
The deal collapsed following Trump’s withdrawal from it and Iran has exceeded those limits since then, enriching uranium to levels close to weapons-grade purity.
The high-level cabinet meeting in France underscores growing European concern that the United States and Israel may resort to airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites if negotiations fail. The United States has bolstered its military presence in the Middle East, with the Pentagon confirming additional warplanes amid ongoing strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
A senior European official told Reuters that military action against Iran could be imminent, given the current strategic discussions among Western allies. Trump has called on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to return to talks. “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” Trump said in a telephone interview last week. “It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz revisited Iran’s vulnerability during a tour of Israel’s north on Wednesday.
“Hezbollah, which was established to protect Iran and the Iranian nuclear project and not as a protector of Lebanon, is no longer considered a protector of Iran by the Israeli and Iranian definition because of the blows we dealt it,” said <https://www.mako.co.il/pzm-soldiers/Article-4a9a97f4196f591027.htm> Katz.
He was referencing an assessment that Iran had fueled Hezbollah for decades despite its biting financial hardships so that it would serve as a powerful deterrent on Israel’s doorstep. Israel killed thousands of Hezbollah fighters and the group’s high command after it joined Hamas in attacking Israel after Oct. 7, 2023.
Hezbollah in November agreed to a ceasefire whose terms said it would need to leave the border area in Lebanon. Iran launched two ballistic missile attacks on Israel during the war, resulting in little damage. Israel retaliated, including with a massive bombing raid that reportedly took out key aerial defense components in Iran.
Khamenei vowed to retaliate against the United States and Israel if his country is attacked. Iran last week rejected Trump’s proposal, which the president had made in a letter <https://www.jns.org/trump-to-khamenei-nuke-deal-a-lot-better-than-having-to-do-something-against-iran/> , for direct talks, CBS reported <https://www.jns.org/iran-rejects-trump-letter-calling-for-direct-negotiations-with-us/> .
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is scheduled to visit Paris this week, while ministers from France, Britain and Germany hope to discuss the Iran issue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels this week, Reuters reported.