August 23, 2019
By Marine Pennetier
BIARRITZ, France (Reuters) – France and Britain aimed to present a united front on the issue of Iran – where they have been at odds with the United States – as major world powers prepared to discuss Iran and other topics at the G7 summit.
A British diplomatic source said on Friday that Britain was unlikely to alter its approach on Iran despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson meeting U.S. President Donald Trump.
A French official also said that the so-called “E3” major European powers of France, Britain and Germany needed to stay united on Iran.
“It’s important to keep the E3 together on Iran,” said the French official, while the British diplomatic source said Britain felt the 2015 deal signed with Iran remained the best way to ensure Tehran did not get nuclear weapons.
Trump’s administration has abandoned that deal and stepped up sanctions on Iran.
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday, as major world powers seek to salvage the nuclear deal signed with Tehran.
(Reporting by Marine Pennetier; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and John Stonestreet)
