Macron calls for Iran to reduce its nuclear stockpile
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called on Iran to reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium and abide by the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Macron, in a statement, said that he had “noted with concern” Iran’s surpassing the limits set in the pact with world powers.
He urged Iran “to immediately reverse this overshoot and abstain from any other measure that would undermine its nuclear obligations.”
France’s appeal comes after President Trump and Macron spoke on the phone Monday about Iran’s breaching the accord, the White House said.
Trump, who pulled out of the deal last year, was asked if he had a message for the Islamic Republic.
“They know what they’re doing,” the president responded during a bill signing in the Oval Office. “They know what they’re playing with, and they’re playing with fire. So no message to Iran whatsoever.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif announced that the country has exceeded the 300-kilogram limit under the deal, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, confirmed the breach.
The White House issued a statement saying the administration would continue its “maximum pressure” campaign and accused Iran of defying the accord.
Trump pulled out of the deal last year that the Obama administration negotiated with Iran and Britain, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia and China.
He reimposed sanctions on Iran and added new ones.
The tense relationship between Washington and Tehran has been inflamed recently after the US blamed Iran of shooting down an unmanned surveillance drone last month and attacking two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
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