US and France to demand ‘new deal’ from Iran

The presidents of the US and France announced their commitment to correct flaws in the current nuclear agreement with Iran.

By: World Israel News Staff

At a press conference in Washington with US President Donald Trump by his side, French President Emmanuel Macron issued a joint call for a new direction in the multi-national nuclear agreement with Iran.

After “very frank discussions” between the two leaders, Macron announced that the US and France would “from now on … work on a new deal with Iran,” reported AFP.

“I think we will have a great shot at doing a much bigger, maybe, deal,” declared Trump at the press conference on Tuesday. The president reiterated that the current agreement is “a bad deal, a bad structure.”

According to Macron, the revised agreement would address not only Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but also Tehran’s ballistic missile program, its influence throughout the Middle East, and post-2025 activity.

While Trump has repeatedly threatened to walk away from the 2015 deal, under which Iran enjoyed relief from crippling sanctions and was guaranteed a civilian nuclear program, European powers have urged the US to stay in the deal.

May 12 represents the next deadline for Trump to decide whether to demand changes to the deal by refusing to re-certify it, a step that European powers claim would be a breach of the agreement.

In response to potential challenges from the US, Tehran continues to threaten to accelerate enrichment activities. The Islamic Republic has also become increasingly belligerent in Syria, posing an imminent threat on Israel’s border with its war-torn neighbor.

Trump took the opportunity on Tuesday to respond to Iran’s most recent threats, warning, “They’re not going to be restarting anything. If they restart it, they’re going to have big problems, bigger than they ever had before. And you can mark it down.”

Emmanuel MacronIran nuclear deal