Following separate meetings with Iranian President Hassan Rohani and US incumbent Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron has called for direct talks between Iran and the United States. "I believe the conditions were created for a quick return to negotiations," he said after the meeting. The Heads of State and Government are in New York because of the UN General Assembly and the previous Climate Summit.
There is a common intention to move forward and not just to define the conditions for de-escalation. "It's about a long-term political agreement, but it depends on the will of both sides," Macron continued. Should Rohani leave without a meeting with Trump, then this would be a "missed opportunity".
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared Macron's view that a coherent approach to the nuclear issue must be pursued: "I agree with Emmanuel that we have to stand at the edge of the pool and jump at the same time."
The government in Tehran has initially ruled out talks with the US
Macron and Johnson supported the position of Angela Merkel. The Chancellor had previously campaigned in the nuclear dispute for direct talks between the US and Iran. "But that certainly will not work so that all sanctions are taken off the table first," she dismissed Iranian demands.
The government in Tehran has ruled out direct talks until the US returns to the 2015 nuclear deal. For this, the US government would have to withdraw its recent sanctions. Trump said the pressure on Iran will only increase.
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is also in New York, where he met with his colleagues from Iran and Saudi Arabia. First, he met with the Saudi State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Adel al-Jubair, and then with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Jawad Sarif. They talked about the escalating crisis in the Gulf region.
On Wednesday, Maas will attend a meeting of states that have signed the agreement to prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb. Details of the talks with Al-Dschubair and Sarif were initially unknown.
