The Iranian leaders who had appeared so receptive to the idea reversed themselves
They’re a long way from sitting down together. Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer. Photos: Getty Images One of the highlights of this weekend’s G7 summit in Biarritz, France, was the appearance on Sunday by Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. French president Emmanuel Macron had invited Zarif to the meeting as part of his ongoing effort to broker a new international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, after President Trump pulled the U.S.
But on Tuesday, the Iranian leaders who had appeared so receptive to the idea reversed themselves, with Rouhani announcing that Iran would not agree to talks unless and until the U.S. dropped all sanctions, and Zarif calling the prospect of a summit between the two leaders “unimaginable.” There was little reason to be surprised by this turn of events.
Iran has repeatedly ruled out giving up its ballistic missiles, which it maintains are necessary to defend itself against regional threats. Rouhani would be hard-pressed to abandon such a vital strategic weapon when his country is engaged in a rapidly escalating war with Israel in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, while also being encircled by Saudi Arabia.
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