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Reuters
WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS
French President Emmanuel Macron called on the United States on Wednesday not to abandon the Iran nuclear deal as Western envoys said Britain, France and Germany were nearing a package that seeks to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to save the pact.
Trump has described the 2015 accord, under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of economic sanctions, as the worst deal ever negotiated and has threatened to wreck it by re-imposing US penalties next month unless the three European allies agree to fix its"flaws."
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused the United States of seeking to unilaterally change the terms of the multilateral deal and derided Trump as a"tradesman"lacking the background to handle with international affairs.
Brian Hook, the lead US negotiator with the three European nations trying to keep Trump in the deal before his self-imposed May 12 deadline, told National Public Radio in Washington that"we're not there yet, but we've made some progress."
Capping a three-day visit to the United States, France's Macron told a joint meeting of Congress the 2015 deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was not perfect but must remain in place until a replacement was forged.
"This agreement may not address all concerns,"Macron said.
