Macron: No Alternative to Iran Nuclear Deal
Local Editor
French President Emmanuel Macron came out in support of the multilateral nuclear deal with Iran, saying France sees "no alternative" to the agreement.
He said the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], had facilitated a constructive relationship with Iran.
"There is no alternative to the non-proliferation agenda. It enables a constructive and demanding relationship with Iran," he told some 200 French ambassadors gathered in Paris.
Macron's comments come as one party to the deal, namely the United States, has been trying to undermine the pact.
The deal was reached between Iran and the P5+1 countries - namely the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany - in July 2015 and took effect in January 2016.
US President Donald Trump has called the JCPOA - which was negotiated under his predecessor, Barack Obama - "the worst deal ever" and repeatedly threatened to tear it up.
Separately, the European Union [EU]'s foreign policy chief voiced strong support for the deal with Iran.
Addressing the opening session of the 2017 EU Ambassadors Conference in Brussels on Monday, Federica Mogherini said the deal represented "the European way to foreign policy."
"This was not an agreement between two countries, I have repeated it time and again and I have the impression that we will need to repeat it time and again in the months to come," she added, apparently referring to the stepped-up American rhetoric and action against the deal.
Recent reports indicate that the Trump administration is actively seeking a pretext to potentially withdraw from the JCPOA. Among other things, the White House has reportedly been pressuring US intelligence officials to produce intelligence that could be used to declare Iran in violation of the nuclear agreement.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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