Imam Khamenei’s Top Aide: France Carries No Weight in Iran N. Deal

France does not have a say on the international scene to be able to influence a nuclear deal between Tehran and the world power, Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei’s top adviser Ali Akbar Velayati said after French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius claimed there will be no nuclear deal if Iran does not allow inspections of its military sites.

“France does not play any determining role on the international scene other than the harsh statements it makes through some individuals who do not feel responsible… ,” Velayati told reporters during a joint press conference with a visiting Bosnian official in Tehran on Saturday.

The top advisor reiterated that some senior French officials make such radical statements to please their allies in the region to secure their economic interactions and deals without showing any care for the realities.

“What role can their agreement or disagreement play” in a final nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers, he said.

Velayati cautioned Paris against its blind compliance with the US, saying France’s obedience to the worst western policies will leave no reputation for that country on the international scene.

On Wednesday, Fabius said that France would not sign off on a deal if Tehran ruled out inspections of its military sites as part of the final agreement.

“France will not accept a deal if it is not clear that inspections can be done at all Iranian installations, including military sites,” Fabius told the national assembly in Paris, urging other negotiating partners to adopt a similar position.

His comments came a week after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made it clear that he would not allow the Iranian negotiating team to accept inspections of military sites or interviews with the country’s nuclear scientists.

“As said before, no permission will be given for inspection of any military centers and talks with the nuclear scientists and other sensitive fields of study and intrusion into their privacy,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing cadets at Imam Hossein University – a renowned military academy of the IRGC – in Tehran.

“I will not allow the aliens to hold talks and interrogate the dear and distinguished scientists and sons of this nation,” he stressed.

Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the nuclear talks underway between Iran and the world powers, and said one of the challenges facing the talks was the other side’s bullying and excessive demands.

But he stressed that the enemies should know that the Iranian nation would not bow to the pressures and excessive demands.