France rejects lifting sanctions on Iran while Strait of Hormuz remains blockaded

Istanbul (ANTARA) - French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has rejected the lifting of sanctions against Iran while the Strait of Hormuz remains blockaded.

“We ourselves have imposed significant sanctions on Iran. But it is impossible for any sanctions to be lifted while the Strait of Hormuz is still blockaded,” Barrot told French television station RTL on Thursday.

He stressed the urgent need to reopen shipping traffic in the strait for “the common good of humanity”.

“The strait must not be blockaded, subjected to customs duties, or used as a bargaining chip or for extortion,” Barrot stated.

Furthermore, Barrot called on European countries not to remain trapped in a difficult situation where they are “forced to pay the price of a war” that they did not even choose.

“That is why we must focus on how Europe can free itself from all dependence on hydrocarbons and oil—not to mention digital technology,” he said.

“In short, no longer dependent on things that drag us into conflicts, disasters, and crises in which we are not participants,” he added.

Barrot described recent attacks on vessels owned by French shipping company CMA CGM, as well as on other ships and energy infrastructure in the UAE allegedly targeted by Iran, as “unacceptable and reprehensible”.

“All attacks on civilian infrastructure are reprehensible,” he said.

However, he reminded that France was not the target of the attacks because the CMA CGM vessel operates under the Maltese flag, and its crew are Filipino nationals.

Source: Anadolu