WASHINGTON – French President Emanuel Macron has hinted at the possibility of crafting a new nuclear deal with Iran, by scraping the agreement made in 2015.
Macron and US President Donald Trump have suggested on Tuesday that there could be a new agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme with tougher restrictions.
Mr Macron said a new pact must cover Iran’s ballistic missile programme and its role in the Middle East, agreeing that Tehran’s influence in the region must be part of negotiations.
On the other hand, Trump expressed that they will have a great shot at doing a much bigger deal.
Trump stressed that the new pact must be built on “solid foundations” adding that the earlier agreement must have covered Yemen, Syria, and other parts of the Middle East.
Trump had earlier warned Tehran against restarting the nuclear programme by saying that ‘they’re going to have big problems, bigger than they’ve ever had before.’
The high-level meeting between Trump and Macron came as the US president had been threatening to reject an extension of the nuclear pact reached by a 12 May deadline.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of action (JCPOA), which is now hanging in balance had ensured the closure of nuclear tests by Iran, however, Trump had decertified the pact in October, last year.
After Macron’s visit, Angela Merkel, German Chancellor would land in Washington to cajole the tycoon-turned-president to stay in the agreement and honour the commitments.
