Sanctions stymied Macron’s efforts to set up meeting between US, Iran: report

French President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to set up a meeting between President Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani were scuttled after the Iranian side demanded the U.S. commit to easing tension before any talks take place. 

People briefed on the conversation told The Wall Street Journal late Tuesday that the diplomatic moves were backed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The conversation, which would have been the first of its kind since the 1979 revolution in Iran, would have come amid skyrocketing tensions in the Persian Gulf following an attack this month on two Saudi oil facilities, for which Riyadh, some Trump administration officials and European leaders have blamed Tehran. 

{mosads}Trump told the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday that he is prepared to ramp up sanctions against Iran until it no longer poses a threat to allies in the Middle East. Rouhani will deliver his response Wednesday. 

European powers are scrambling to avoid armed conflict in the Middle East and are urging Washington and Tehran to return to the negotiating table to reach an agreement that they hope would cover Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and support for armed groups in the region. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Obama-era nuclear pact in 2018 and has expressed openness to crafting a new deal.

In a bid to revamp the talks, Macron met with Trump and Rouhani while Johnson also met with Iranian and U.S. leaders. The goal was to set up a conversation including Trump, Rouhani, Macron and possibly other European heads of state. 

“I think I agree with Emmanuel. You need to be on the side of the swimming pool and jump at the same time,” Johnson said.

However, the effort fell through after Iran said Washington must ease sanctions as a precondition for the talk, which the U.S. declined to do.

Macron maintained his efforts were not wasted, saying the groundwork is in place “for a quick resumption of dialogue and negotiations” between the U.S. and Iran. 

“It’s now for Iran and the U.S. to seize these conditions and to meet together again to re-create some momentum,” he told the Journal. “France is ready” to assist. 

The National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

The White House has slapped a litany of sanctions on Tehran to pressure it back to the negotiating table, but Macron said the strategy has resulted in an Iranian response of “maximum pressure” against its neighbors, which he said has fomented the risk of a confrontation. 

Macron said negotiations should focus on Iran’s nuclear program, a solution to a proxy war in Yemen between Tehran and Riyadh, a regional security plan to cover other conflicts, securing the freedom of maritime navigation and sanctions. 

“I am not naive at all and I don’t believe in miracles,” he said. “I believe that it takes courage to build peace.”