Iranian MP: France concerned about Iran oil embargo

French Ambassador to Tehran Bruno Foucher has expressed concern about the European Union’s recent decision to impose sanctions on Iran’s oil industry, according to Iranian MP Hassan Kamran.
The European Union formally imposed an oil embargo on Iran and agreed to a freeze on the assets of the Central Bank of Iran on January 23, but existing contracts will be honored until July 1.

Kamran, who is the chairman of the Iran-France Parliamentary Friendship Group, told the Persian service of the Fars News Agency on Wednesday that he held a meeting with the French ambassador on Tuesday.

“The meeting lasted three hours and several discussions were held between me and the French ambassador,” Kamran said.

He added, “Bruno Foucher, the French ambassador to Tehran, is concerned about a (possible) halt to Iran’s oil exports to Europe, and we announced that the measure was taken by the Europeans not Iran.

“In the meeting, we told the French ambassador that the Islamic Republic of Iran has its own indigenous tactics for dealing with the West, which they (the Westerners) have not yet been able to figure out.

“The French ambassador also stated in the meeting, ‘We want to hold negotiations with Iran to help resolve the oil crisis.’ I also told him that Iran is in favor of friendship with all countries.

“In the meeting, the French ambassador was seeking to find out what stage the plan calling for a halt to Iran’s oil exports to Europe is in and what the final result will be.”

MP Nasser Soudani announced on January 5 that the Iranian parliament had been discussing a plan calling for a halt to Iran’s oil exports to the European countries that voted for sanctions on Iran’s oil industry.

Kamran also said, “In the meeting, the French ambassador said, ‘We are not in favor of a halt to Iran’s oil (exports) to European countries.’”

“It could be understood from the French ambassador’s questions and the way he negotiated that he does not want sanctions to be imposed on Iran’s oil imports by the European Union and wants the plan calling for a halt to Iran’s oil exports to Europe to be scrapped,” the MP added.