He said: “We should not allow such a great achievement of diplomacy to be destroyed by unilateral measures and non-commitment of others. If Iran cannot make use of the advantages envisioned in the agreement, staying in the deal will practically be impossible.”

This statement makes it obvious that Iran are terrified about tough US sanctions being re-imposed, as this will cripple the Iranian economy, leaving less money for the military and Iran’s suppressive forces. This would make it easier for the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow the mullahs.

Macron responded that France was committed to the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but that Iran would have to fully and clearly comply with its commitments. This means that Iran shouldn’t increase their uranium enrichment while Europe is trying to preserve the deal, which the US withdrew from in May citing major flaws and Iranian cheating.

Regional aggression

During his call, Rouhani also took the opportunity to defend Iran’s ever-growing military presence in Syria, by claiming that Iran’s forces are “fighting terrorism”, which is a strange comment as Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism.

Unfortunately, the JCPOA does not address Iran’s regional aggression and support for terrorist proxies, which are at play in Syria, or its ballistic missile programme and human rights abuses. This is another reason that Trump withdrew from the 2015 deal.

There are no moderates in the Regime

These thinly-veiled threats that parrot Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and ridiculous excuses for their involvement in the Syrian war must come as a shock to those in the West still under the false impression that there are moderates in the Iranian Regime.

However, this shows that appeasement of the Regime is not the answer. In fact, the only way to get Iran out of Syria (and various other conflicts in the Middle East) and stop them from obtaining a nuclear weapon is to support the people’s desire for regime change.

The Iranian people have been clear about their desire for regime change for some time, even taking to the streets in an uprising that began in December 2017 and continues to this day. Governments who wish to tackle Iran should support this call by attending the Free Iran gathering in Paris on June 30.