KNN/ ERBIL, Southern Kurdistan Region – French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said he hoped it was a matter of days for the nuclear deal to be “concluded”, as Israel embarks on its final push to block the deal’s revival.
“I hope that in the next few days the JCPOA will be concluded,” Macron said during the conference of ambassadors in Paris, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name of the nuclear deal.
The French President’s remarks come a day after renewed efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid to stop the revival of the deal during talks with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday. According to a statement by Lapid’s office, the two leaders spoke about efforts to “stop Iran’s progress towards a nuclear weapon.”
Iran has repeatedly denied that its nuclear program was for anything other than peaceful purposes.
Echoing similar remarks to Macron, on Wednesday, the European Union’s (EU) top diplomat said he was hopeful that the nuclear deal would be restored “in the coming days,” as cited by AFP.
Last month, the EU put forward what it labeled as the final text to restore the 2015 agreement which the US withdrew from under former president Donald Trump in 2018. Iran responded to the text with changes to which the US also replied to. No information was revealed about the responses.
Speaking from Moscow also on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran was reviewing Washington’s response to the text, adding that it needs “stronger guarantees.” One of Iran’s key demands has been guarantees from the US that it would not withdraw from a new deal.
On the same day, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the US remains “cautiously optimistic,” adding that it is still waiting for the EU and Iran to respond.
The nuclear deal provides Iran with sanctions relief and would allow Iranian oil back to international markets at a time of growing demand and unstable prices following Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war that has intensified following a series of high-profile assassinations blamed on Israel, and tensions between the two countries are high. Israel is concerned sanctions alleviation would embolden Iran and its proxies, perceiving it as a threat to Israeli national security.