MESOP NEWS IRAN : THE GIANT ECONOMIC DEAL FRANCE / IRAN IS OUT OF ORDER – Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s trip to Tehran postponed

Rouhani Clashes with France Over Protests

3 jan 2018 – In possible diplomatic fallout from a week of protests across Iran, the Rouhani Government has clashed with France, accusing it of support of terrorists.President Hassan Rouhani spoke by phone with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, but — at least publicly — the two sides had far different versions of the conversation.

Macron’s office said he urged Rouhani to show restraint in dealing with the protests, which have spread across Iran into almost all cities and many towns. Iranian State media said at least 22 people have been killed and hundreds wounded.Macron expressed concern over casualties and said freedom of speech and protest must be respected.

Iran’s State media ignored Macron’s message. Instead, it headlined a demand from Rouhani that France act immediately against the Paris-based Mujahedin e-Khalq (MKO), which has pursued a campaign — including assassinations and bombings — to overthrow the Islamic Republic since 1980.

“We expect the French government to abide by its legal responsibility towards this terrorist group along the lines of battling terrorism and violence,” Rouhani said.

While acknowledging a right to protest, the Rouhani Government has tried to shift focus onto a supposed foreign instigation of a “minority” which it says is pursuing violence. It is also asserting that the Iranian nation will rally around an “opportunity” to address concerns about the economy, mismanagement, and corruption.However, the approach is threatening further strain on relations with European states, whom Rouhani had hoped would spur investment and trade for Iran’s economic recovery. One of the Government’s initial deals after implementation of the July 2015 nuclear deal was with France for 118 Airbus passenger jets. Last summer, it signed a memorandum with French energy giant Total for $4.8 billion for development of the South Pars gas field, and there are initiatives with French automobile manufacturers to spur Iran’s production.

However, the Airbus has stalled except for the symbolic delivery of a few of its smaller planes, and Total says it may have to suspend the South Pars deal because of US sanctions. Meanwhile, the political situation worsened this autumn when Macron — during a sudden visit to Iran’s rival Saudi Arabia — said that a negotiated agreement must be reached for limits on Iran’s ballistic missile testing and development, which Tehran says is outside the nuclear deal.

Iranian leaders responded angrily to Macron’s statement, saying that Tehran would not enter into talks to restrict its “defensive capacity”.

In a sign of the deterioration amid the protests, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s planned trip to Tehran later this week has been postponed.

On Wednesday night, the European Union’s 28 members added pressure on Tehran with their first statement about the protests, citing “the increase of violence and the unacceptable loss of human lives”. The EU emphasized the “core issue” of human rights to assert, “Peaceful demonstration and freedom of expression are fundamental rights that apply to every country, and Iran is no exception.”

However, it also carefully avoided any exclusive blame on the regime by implicitly also addressing protesters, “In the spirit of frankness and respect that is at the basis of our relationship, we expect all concerned to refrain from violence and the right of expression to be guaranteed.”  www.mesop.de