Rouhani, Macron Discuss JCPOA, Iran’s New Regional Peace Plan

By Staff, Agencies

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, a meeting was held between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to discuss the latest efforts to save the 2015 nuclear deal as well as a new Iranian-initiated plan for regional peace, known as the “Hormuz Peace Initiative”.

During the meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday evening, Rouhani and Macron talked about the details of the efforts by France and the other signatories to the JCPOA to save the nuclear deal.

They also discussed Tehran-Paris cooperation in fields of mutual interest, the critical conditions in the region, and the Iranian president’s new initiative, the "Hormuz Peace Endeavor [HOPE]".

Rouhani emphasized that the JCPOA parties, including France, are duty bound to preserve the nuclear deal after the US’ unilateral and illegal withdrawal from the agreement.

He also slammed a Tuesday statement issued by France, the UK, and Germany for its “baseless accusations” against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In the statement, the three European countries condemned the September 14 attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and pinned the blame on Tehran. Iran has vehemently denied any involvement in the attacks.

For his part, Macron said he welcomes the Iranian initiative for regional security.

Macron also outlined his country’s efforts to help save the JCPOA.

He stressed the need for dialogue and interaction with Iran as an influential country in the region, calling for the continuation of constructive relations between Paris and Tehran.