Speaking by telephone with the President of France Emmanuel Macron late on Tuesday, Dr. Hassan Rouhani referred to the goal of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as normalizing Iran’s economic relations with other countries.

He stated, “Unfortunately, despite Iran’s full compliance with its commitments, only a small part of Iran’s economic interests were met, and after the withdrawal of the United States, we have not only not seen any serious action by Europe in this regard, but also some European companies left Iran following US’ unilateral sanctions”.

Describing the United States’ economic terrorism anti-human, he said, “Iran’s full compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA while the other side does not do so is not acceptable for the Iranian nation”.

He went on to refer to tension-generating policies of the US in the region and its negative impacts on security and stability of extra-regional and international relations, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been the main provider of freedom and security of navigation in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman, and it will continue to play this role”.

Dr. Rouhani also described normalization of Iran’s banking and oil relations as the first step and added, “Allocation of a credit line by Europe in this regard can be a good start”.

“The more time passes and Iran takes the next steps, the harder it will be for both sides to return to the beginning point,” he said, adding that unfortunately, Europe has missed a lot of opportunities in the past year for living up its commitments and cooperating with Iran.

President Rouhani added, “As we have repeatedly stated, Iran’s move to reduce its JCPOA commitments so far is able to return to its previous state very fast if Iran’s economic interests are met”.

The United States will not benefit from its hostile acts against Iran, and the continuation of this trend will be lose-lose situation for everyone, said the President adding, “Iran has not begun any tension in the region and will not do so, but it will defend its interests against any tension creation powerfully”.

Appreciating the French President’s efforts for resolving issues, he said, “Iran always welcomes any initiative aimed at achieving fair solutions and constructive dialogue”.

During the same phone call, President Emmanuel Macron of France said, “France will do its best to make sure that Iran enjoys its interests under the JCPOA, and to normalize Tehran’s economic relations with other countries”.

France is seeking solutions to establish economic relations with Iran despite US sanctions, he said, adding, “Iran-France relations have always been based on mutual trust and we believe that today, we need to attempt to pass these conditions”.

 Macron went on to describe US sanctions against Iran unilateral and unacceptable, saying, “We need to have more cooperation in finding proper, fair solutions to easing regional tensions until we reach desired results”.