26 April,2018 08:10 AM IST | Washington | Agencies
Donald Trump (right) clears dandruff off Emmanuel Macron's jacket in the Oval Office prior to a meeting at the White House. Pic/AFP
US President Donald Trump and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron called for a "new" deal with Iran, looking beyond disagreements over a landmark nuclear accord that still hangs in the balance.
Trump laid transatlantic divisions bare during a visit by the French president, pillorying a three-year old agreement designed to curb Iran's nuclear programme.
The US leader described the deal as "insane" and "ridiculous," despite European pleas for him not to walk away. Instead, Trump eyed a broader "deal" that would also limit Iran's ballistic missile programme and support for militant groups across the Middle East.
"I think we will have a great shot at doing a much bigger, maybe, deal," said Trump, stressing that any new accord would have to be built on "solid foundations."
Macron admitted after meeting Trump that he did not know whether the US president would walk away from the nuclear deal when a May 12 decision deadline comes up. "I can say that we have had very frank discussions on that, just the two of us," Macron told a joint press conference. Putting on a brave face, he said he wished "for now to work on a new deal with Iran" of which the nuclear accord could be one part.
They did not indicate whether Iran would get something in return for concessions on its ballistic programmes, activities in the Middle East or extending nuclear controls beyond 2025. Trump's European allies have tried to persuade him not to abandon the 2015 deal, which gave Iran massive sanctions relief.
