The negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program held in Geneva, Nov. 7–9, made unprecedented progress toward an agreement. US Secretary of State John Kerry announced at the conclusion of the talks, “We came to Geneva to narrow the differences, and I can tell you without any reservations, we made significant progress. It takes time to build confidence between countries that have really been at odds with each other for a long time now.” 

The US position was confirmed by Catherine Ashton, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, who stated, “A lot of concrete progress has been achieved but some issues remain. Our objective is to reach a conclusion and that’s what we’ll come back to try to do.” 

The French position, however, surprised everyone. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warned that a rush to an agreement would be a “fool’s game.” Informed sources told Al-Monitor that Britain, China, Germany, Russia, and the United States and Iran had been amenable to signing a draft agreement but that Paris then moved to block the deal. Obviously angered by the French maneuver, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, asserted in a speech to parliament on Nov. 10, "The Islamic Republic has not and will not bow its head to threats from any authority … For us there are red lines that cannot be crossed. National interests are our red lines that include our rights under the framework of international regulations and [uranium] enrichment in Iran."

The United States and the other P5+1 members were also not happy with the actions by the French. “People need to stop and think about what happens each day now that you don’t have an agreement … Each day that you don’t have an agreement, Iran will continue to enrich, and Iran will continue to put centrifuges in, and Iran will continue its program,” Kerry admonished.