Kerry Threatens Sanctions on France Over Iran Business Ties

'Iran Knows It's Not Open for Business'

In a new interview broadcast today on CNN, Secretary of State John Kerry revealed that he has put France “on notice,” threatening sanctions against the nation over possible business contacts with Iran.

“Iran is not open for business and Iran knows it’s not open for business,” Kerry said, adding that France’s contacts may “contravene the sanctions,” adding “they will be sanctioned if they do and they know it.”

The P5+1 interim deal has fueled a lot of hope for international rapprochement with Iran, and a number of nations have stepped up early on in hopes of making anticipatory trade deals with Iran.

Ironically France was the last holdout on the P5+1 deal, citing Israeli opposition to any deal with Iran as their reason. It may be difficult for the Kerry to follow through with real sanctions on France, and companies may be willing to call America’s bluff.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.