Military confrontation seems inevitable if no Iran nuclear deal, says France
France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, warned on Wednesday that a military confrontation with Iran appears “almost inevitable” if world powers fail to reach a new agreement over its nuclear program soon.
Barrot’s remarks came after President Emmanuel Macron convened a rare, undisclosed meeting with key ministers and experts to discuss the Iran dossier. The urgency of the situation is driven by an October 2025 deadline, when U.N. sanctions related to the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran are set to expire.
“The window of opportunity is narrow. We only have a few months until the expiration of this accord. In case of failure, a military confrontation would seem to be almost inevitable,” Barrot told a parliamentary hearing.
Western nations argue that Iran’s nuclear program is a disguised effort to develop atomic weapons, a claim Iran has long denied. European powers are working to secure an agreement that would limit Iran’s uranium enrichment activities before the October deadline.
The situation has raised concerns among Washington’s European allies, who fear that the United States or Israel could launch airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities if diplomatic efforts fail. The U.S. has recently reinforced its military presence in the Middle East, deploying additional warplanes amid ongoing airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
A senior European official suggested that these developments could signal a possible U.S. strike on Iran in the coming months. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has urged Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to engage in negotiations, recently threatened Tehran with bombings and secondary tariffs if it did not reach an agreement on its nuclear program.
Diplomatic sources revealed that ministers from France, Britain, and Germany—signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal—are hoping to discuss the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels this week.
Since the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 deal under Trump’s administration, Iran has significantly exceeded the accord’s limits on uranium enrichment, bringing its stockpile close to weapons-grade levels. European diplomats have been working to pressure Tehran into returning to negotiations, but coordination with Washington has been challenging.
The European powers have the option to reinstate full U.N. sanctions before October and are pushing for a new agreement by August to allow for a structured rollback of Iran’s nuclear activities before the current deal expires.
Credit: Reuters
