Therme, Clément <br/><br/>
French Diplomacy and the Test of Iran 

 -  2012.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 76 
<br/><br/> From the point of view of the late Khomeini’s followers, France is considered to be a “Little Devil”, in comparison to the status of “Great Devil” reserved to the United States. According to the political elites of the Islamic Republic, the choice of this category is first and foremost justified by Paris’ support toward Saddam Hussein during the war between Iran and Iraq (1980-1988) and by the country’s status as a member of the Western camp. This view of France and of the French international policy has to be put in perspectives with the French diplomatic elites’ developing perception of Iran. According to them, France has to be firm and intransigent in negotiating with the Islamic Republic, in order to counter its nuclear ambitions.