The French Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault in Paris this week, Asharq Al-Awsat news agency reported.
“Foreign Minister Aragushi will visit France on Wednesday and meet with foreign ministers,” the French Foreign Ministry said, adding that this would be an opportunity to urge Iran to resume cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In September, an agreement was reached in Cairo to establish a framework for cooperation between Iran and the IAEA. But when Britain, Germany and France triggered the return of UN sanctions lifted under the now-expired 2015 nuclear deal, Iran declared the deal null and void.
Iran’s top diplomat said on Friday that a new approach should be taken to monitor the country’s nuclear facilities.
Earlier in the day, Aragushi said the US, UK, Germany and France were pursuing a path of “escalation” after the IAEA passed a resolution calling for “full and immediate” cooperation from Iran, including access to sensitive nuclear facilities.
Wednesday’s meeting “is an opportunity to call on Iran to comply with its obligations to the IAEA and to promptly resume cooperation with the agency,” the French foreign ministry said.