Iran daily criticises Chirac for meddling in Iran’s internal affairs

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Sep. 01 – A semi-official Iranian daily close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lambasted French President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday for “meddling” inside the country’s internal affairs, two days after he called on Tehran to return to the negotiation table and suspend its suspected nuclear weapons activities or face the threat of having its nuclear file hauled before the United
Nations Security Council. Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, Sep. 01 – A semi-official Iranian daily close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lambasted French President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday for “meddling” inside the country’s internal affairs, two days after he called on Tehran to return to the negotiation table and suspend its suspected nuclear weapons activities or face the threat of having its nuclear file hauled before the United Nations Security Council.

The daily Kayhan reported that hard-line Majlis deputy and member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Ali Ahmadi had accused Chirac of making the threat while the European trio of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom who had spearheaded negotiations with Tehran had not lived up to their side of the November 2004 Paris Agreement.

Kayhan described the French President’s statement as “worthless” and “meddling comments”.

“Chirac does not want to fall behind from the United States in taking a position against Iran”, Kayhan wrote, adding, “The French President thinks that Iran’s circumstances are like those of other countries which would give in to threats, however the Iranian people and government have shown that they will stand up to all the hardships so as to protect their independence and national interests at any cost”.

The hard-line daily quoted a political expert as saying that Chirac’s comments reflect French fears that they stand to lose credibility for having rallied other European countries to support the Paris Agreement now that the deal is becoming “worthless”.