TEHRAN - While the Islamic Republic of Iran and the European troika held talks on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and how to provide solid assurances by the European Union to maintain the nuclear deal, French President Emanuel Macron once again raised the issue of "changing the JCPOA".

This position, in the midst of the talks between Iran and the European troika, indicates the purposeful plan that Macron has in mind in confrontation with Iran. Obviously the navigator of this game shouldn't be sought inside Europe. A simple decoding of the French President recent statements suggests that once again, the "two sides of the Atlantic" are cooperating to stand against Iran.

 Emmanuel Macron, made remarkable speeches in opposition to the Islamic Republic of Iran after his recent meeting with his German and English counterparts. These remarks were reflected in the European media and news sources.

In his remarks, Macron has pointed out that France is trying to move all parties to negotiate for reaching a broader deal, something that according to the French President will be inevitable. He mentioned "defending peace" and establishing stability in the region as his main priority. He said that Europe has been united about Iran since the beginning, and that they have only one will, which includes establishing peace and stability in the Middle East. "I defended this position at the United Nations General Assembly in last September. The 2015 nuclear deal is a very important element for creating balance, and that's why we support it. We will work collectively on a broader framework, covering nuclear activity, the post-2025 period, ballistic activity, and stability in the Middle-East, notably Syria, Yemen, and Iraq," he added.

The fact is, about 48 hours after the official announcement of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, secret talks have started between the White House and European officials (notably the three countries of Germany, Britain and France). US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the White House is holding talks with European authorities on the fate of the JCPOA (after the US withdrawal). Other news sources inside the United States have also said that talks between American and European officials have continued over the past few days. One may think that in these negotiations, the main concern of Europeans was to persuade the United States not to impose sanctions on European companies and enterprises which are going to have business relations with Iran. But this is not true.

Macron's remarks clearly show that the European authorities are highly concerned on the "expansion of the nuclear accord", and "change of the JCPOA". In this equation, Emmanuel Macron once again plays a pioneering role. It should not be forgotten that it was Macron who for the first time mentioned the issue of negotiating with Iran over limiting and controlling Iran's missile capabilities, and continuing Iran's nuclear restrictions (after 2025). Macron promised Trump and Netanyahu to include all their demands, terms and conditions in the nuclear deal, and thus turn it to an agreement which perfectly favors Washington and Tel Aviv.

It should be admitted that Macron did his best in this regard. He even urged German Chancellor Angela Merkel to accompany Paris and London along the way. But the results of Macron's play on Trump's ground wasn't what the young and inexperienced president of France expected.

The objections made by the President of the French National Front, “Marine Le Pen on Emmanuel Macron's approach towards the JCPOA were truly important. Le Pen has correctly accused Macron of strengthening Trump's illusions on changing the JCPOA. The President of the French National Front said:

“I resolutely condemn the position of Donald Trump and also that of the French diplomacy which, in its attempts to be even more neo-Conservative than (US national security adviser] John Bolton, has found itself without US patronage and no alternative way to go, … He [Macron] finally refused to go to Tehran to defend the national interests [of France] and to listen to the position of the regime. He was only interested in the American-Israeli-Saudi axis.”

Le Pen's remarks shows well that Macron is to blame for strengthening Trump's illusions on changing the nuclear deal. However, Macron eventually realized that the US President had already made his decision to walk out of the JCPOA, and Trump's secret or open consultations with him were only in the direction of "deceiving Europe".
Now once again, the French President is taking positions under the influence of Trump, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, and on behalf of US government (which is no longer part of the nuclear deal), plans to change the JCPOA, and impose broader restrictions on our country.

These positions show that White House officials and the US State Department continue to count on Emmanuel Macron to advance their plans against Iran, and the French President continues to play on the White House ground with closed eyes. This time, Trump and Pompeo have made certain promises to the Macron, which, of course, is not going to be fulfilled. One of those promises is about the upcoming "tariffs on the imported steel and aluminum" from Europe. No doubt, this time Macron will pay heavy expenses for playing on the US ground, expenses that will be even higher and heavier than those of previous times.