US threats of sanctions against France ‘ridiculous’

An American political analyst says it is “ridiculous” that the US has threatened France with sanctions over the country’s possible business ties to Iran.

On Tuesday, a group of French businesspeople met with top Iranian trade officials. The French delegation’s visit to Iran came after major world powers reached an interim agreement with Iran on Nov. 24 to offer Tehran modest sanctions relief in return for Iran taking steps to limit its uranium enrichment activities. The deal called for negotiation of a full agreement within a year.

“It’s very interesting to see the steady stream of countries’ foreign ministers plus businesses heading to Iran filling up the Tehran hotels trying to get in line for all of the business that everyone’s anticipating with Iran opening up to the West,” said Jim W. Dean, managing editor at Veterans Today, in a phone interview with Press TV on Thursday.

However, US officials were quick to warn France against any possible business relationships with Iran and Secretary of State John Kerry called his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, to express concerns over the business delegation’s visit.

In an interview with CNN television on Wednesday, Kerry said that the French were put “on notice” that “they will be sanctioned if they do” business with Iran.

Dean told Press TV that “this ridiculous thing of using sanctions” is a tool that Washington employs in its “economic wars against the rest of the world.”