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U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Tuesday not to follow through with threats to restart its nuclear program, as he and French President Emmanuel Macron tried to find common ground on saving an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Reuters reports.
Meeting Macron in the Oval Office, Trump heaped scorn on the 2015 nuclear accord negotiated by his predecessor, former president Barack Obama, and aimed at stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
Iran has said it will ramp up its nuclear program if the deal collapses and a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Tehran might quit a treaty designed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons if Trump scraps the agreement.
“If they restart their nuclear program, they will have bigger problems than they have ever had before,” Trump said without explaining what he meant.
Under the deal, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear ambitions in return for relief from economic sanctions. Tehran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful means.
A source close to the French presidency said Trump’s remarks were “an articulation of strongly-held positions. We knew that it’s a sensitive topic and, (it’s) among the priorities for this state visit. We are seeking to defend the French and European positions, which are not incompatible, in our view, with America’s concerns.”
Trump said he and Macron could have an agreement soon on the Iran deal. “We could have at least an agreement among ourselves very quickly. I think we’re fairly close to understanding each other.”
Trump called the Iran agreement, struck between Iran and world powers, a “terrible deal” that was “insane” and “ridiculous” because it did not deal with ballistic missiles or Iran’s involvement in conflicts such as those in Yemen or Syria.