Iranian Lawmaker Condemns France’s ’Constant Betrayals’

By Staff, Agencies

Senior Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi has condemned France's "constant betrayals" against the Islamic Republic, warning that Paris's continued anti-Iranian measures will further complicate its relations with Tehran.

"The Iranian people will never forget France's constant betrayals over issues such as contaminated blood, INSTEX and snapback," Azizi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, wrote on X on Wednesday.

"Continuing this course and anti-Iranian actions will only make conditions more difficult for it," he added.

Azizi's remarks regarding INSTEX, the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, and the snapback mechanism come amid longstanding disagreements between Iran and the E3, France, Germany, and the UK, over Tehran's nuclear program.

The three European countries shut down the INSTEX mechanism in 2023. Established in 2019, the mechanism was designed to facilitate trade between European companies and Iran while bypassing US sanctions.

The E3 also moved to trigger the UN Security Council's "snapback" mechanism under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal last year, despite Tehran's stated commitment to diplomacy and transparency regarding its nuclear program.

Azizi's remarks came after Iran's Foreign Ministry declared two French diplomats working at the French Embassy in Tehran persona non grata over activities it said violated international law and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.