French president stresses need to keep Iran nuclear deal

Amid US threats to kill the Iran nuclear deal, President Emanuel Macron of France has reaffirmed support for the multilateral agreement, adding however that it should be expanded to include other issues.

Speaking at a news conference in Australia on Wednesday, Macron warned against attempts at sabotaging the nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), noting that no one wants more regional tensions.

France is “very much attached to the stability of the region,” he added, saying, “I think nobody wants a war in the region, and nobody wants an escalation in terms of tension in the region.”

US President Donald Trump, who has been demonizing the JCPOA since his inauguration last year, is threatening to pull out of the agreement on May 12, which is the deadline for Washington to renew its support for the deal.

He has given the European signatories, namely France, Britain and Germany, until that date to fix the “flaws” in the JCPOA.

The US president argues that the nuclear deal should address Iran’s domestic defense program as well as its role in the region.

Trump’s ultimatum has created a rift in the European Union. Some of the bloc’s states, mainly France, have been seeking to allay the US president’s “concerns,” while others such as Italy have warned against putting pressure on Iran.

Macron further stated the current agreement is not “sufficient,” and that he is pushing alongside the UK and Germany to enable negotiations for “a broader deal.”

He also called for three “pillars” to be included in the deal, namely Iran’s post-2025 nuclear activities, its conventional missile program and its regional role.

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The US and French presidents call for additional changes to Iran’s nuclear deal.

The French leader first spoke of a “new deal” with Iran late last month in Washington, where he was supposed to boost Europe’s efforts to make Trump change his mind on the nuclear deal.

Speaking alongside Trump on April 25, Macron said there might be room for “a new deal” alongside the existing one, which would address Iran’s missile defense program as well as regional influence.

Those comments prompted reactions from other signatories in support of the deal, with the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, reaffirming once again that the existing deal was working and thus should be saved.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry says Moscow does not see any prospect for changes or additions to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Speaking in Australia, Macron said, “I don't know what the US president will decide on May 12,” adding, “I just want to say whatever the decision will be, we will have to prepare such a broader negotiation and a broader deal.”

Right after his talks in Washington, Macron had said that the US president would most likely pull the US out of the accord.

Tehran has said the deal, which is the result of over a decade of negotiations, is not up for renegotiation, and that it has prepared several options for responding to a possible US pullout.

Macron’s latest comments came two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a fresh propaganda campaign against the Iran deal. He went live on TV and unveiled, during an elaborate presentation, what he called “evidence” that Iran had a “secret” nuclear program.

The French president made no comments on Netanyahu’s anti-Iran show, but his Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Tuesday in support of the JCPOA.

According to the statement, the data purportedly provided by Israel further strengthened the need to ensure that the Iran nuclear deal and UN inspections remained in place.

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