TEHRAN — An Iranian MP believes that France is trying to revive the process of nuclear negotiations.

In an interview with IRNA published on Saturday, Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi said that the phone conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shows that Paris is playing the role of two persons in the nuclear negotiations.

“Paris does not like the role of the Americans in these negotiations to outweigh Europe and is trying to revive the role and position of Europe in these negotiations. This is the general policy of the French,” said Jahanabadi who sits on the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee. 

Stating that France has adopted a new policy in the region, he said the Elyse Palace is trying to somehow fill the void left by the United States in West Asia and to strengthen relations with the Mediterranean, West Asian and Persian Gulf countries. 

This is part of France’s policy, the legislator pointed out.

Jahanabadi said France is interested in playing its role more vividly than other European countries during the nuclear negotiations, stating that efforts have been made by the French government to strengthen cooperation.

“A detailed conversation between the presidents of Iran and France has taken place, and Iran's point of view was conveyed to this country and they also conveyed the Americans' point of view to us,” the MP elaborated.

The legislator went on to say now that Tehran’s policy and interest is not to talk directly with the Americans, the French can play this role to convey the messages and take a mediatory role.

“Iran wants to resolve the issue of nuclear negotiations. Therefore, we welcome any country that wants to mediate in this regard,” Jahanabadi emphasized. 

The representative of the people of Torbat-e-Jam in the parliament went on to say that despite the sanctions on Iran, the Islamic Republic is not in a weak position.

“Undoubtedly, Iran’s infrastructure and economy have suffered (from sanctions), but the Western side is also deceiving itself. The Western side that signed the JCPOA and then withdrew from it has not achieved anything since the withdrawal,” said the legislator. 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump quit the nuclear deal in May 2018 and slapped the harshest sanctions in history against Iran in line with his “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. 

The legislator said it was the West that suffered from violating the legally-binding agreement.

“Has Iran stopped increasing the number of centrifuges?” the MP asked, adding that Iran’s enrichment has not been reduced, and on the contrary, Iran's influence in West Asia has increased and the power of Iran's drones has also been improved. 

He went on to say that the positions of Iran and the U.S. in West Asia are incomparable.

“When the JCPOA was signed, the Americans were present in Afghanistan and Iraq, but now they have left the region. This shows that the West is in a weak position,” he assessed. 

Referring to U.S. President Joe Biden's West Asia tour, he said that the U.S. president's attempt to revive Saudi Arabia's position in the energy market has failed and this shows that West Asia is no longer the West Asia of the past and that Americans' perception of Iran is incorrect.

The legislator also warned that if the Westerners think that Iran will accept any kind of commitment and sign any agreement due to economic problems, it will show that their understanding of Iran is quite wrong

The people of Iran, he added, will never surrender to the demands of global arrogance.

Referring to France’s inclination to mediate in Iran-U.S. nuclear talks, the MP said, “Iran prefers Qatar, Oman and Iraq for mediation because we have deeper ties with these countries and a better understanding of the common problems in our region. Of course, any country that wants to make efforts and mediate will be welcomed by Iran.”

Iran and the U.S. have not talked directly since negotiations started in April 2021 to resurrect the JCPOA. European Union’s political director Enrique Mora has been acting as the coordinator of the talks.

He went on to say that West Asia was once under the control of the Americans, but the recent summit held in Jeddah showed that the Americans’ allies also believe that one should not be fooled by the Americans. 

“During Biden's recent trip to Saudi Arabia, he was treated coldly. The countries of the region realized that the regional problems must be solved by the countries themselves and there is no hope for the Americans,” he concluded. 

President Biden visited Israel and Saudi Arabia on July 13-16. During his trip, he failed to convince Arab states to team up with Israel against Iran.