Step Too Far

France: New U.S. Sanctions Against Iran Are ‘Unacceptable’

Ally hits out again at U.S. over Iran.

There’s trouble in paradise for the bromance between French President Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump. France has strongly criticized the U.S. after the Treasury Department slapped new sanctions on Iran, two days after Trump angered European allies by withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal. The French foreign minister said European companies would suffer because the sanctions hit firms that carry out trade with Iran. Jean-Yves Le Drian said: “We feel that the extraterritoriality of their sanction measures are unacceptable. The Europeans should not have to pay for the withdrawal from an agreement by the United States, to which they had themselves contributed.” He added Europe would “put in place the necessary measures to protect the interests of our companies and start negotiations with Washington” on the matter. Meanwhile, Iran has supported Syria’s right to defend itself against aggression from Israel, accusing others of remaining silent over attacks on their ally.