Paris [France]: The leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the US reiterated on Saturday their commitment to ensure that Iran can never develop nuclear weapons. Earlier in the day, the leaders held a meeting in Rome to discuss the risks posed to international security by Iran’s escalating nuclear program. “We expressed our determination to ensure that Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon and shared our grave and growing concern that, while Iran halted negotiations on a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) since June, it has accelerated the pace of provocative nuclear steps, such as the production of highly enriched uranium and enriched uranium metal. Iran has no credible civilian need for either measure, but both are important to nuclear weapons programs,” the leaders said in a joint statement. The sides also pointed to the importance of a negotiated solution to the current situation “that provides for the return of Iran and the US to full compliance with the JCPOA and provides the basis for continued diplomatic engagement to resolve remaining points of contention.” “We are convinced that it is possible to quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to full compliance and to ensure for the long term that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes,” the statement read. The leaders also called on Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to seize this opportunity and “return to a good faith effort to conclude our negotiations as a matter of urgency,” noting it is the only way to avoid a dangerous escalation.
