Macron says Iran nuclear deal no longer enough
French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York. PHOTO: REUTERS
France's President Emmanuel Macron declared on Wednesday that the Iran nuclear deal is no longer a sufficient safeguard against the growing power that Tehran wields in its region.
“We need the 2015 accord,” he said of the agreement.
He added: “Is this accord enough? It is not, given the growing pressure that Iran is applying in the region.”
Macron was speaking in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, while ministers from Iran the six world powers that signed had the accord met to discuss it.
US, Iran meet as Trump threat looms over nuke deal
US President Donald Trump, who was elected after the deal was signed, has threatened to pull out if Iran does not face greater controls on its missile and nuclear programs.
The other deal signatories, including France, insist it remains the best way to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb — but Macron has said it could be improved.
He told reporters that Iran's ballistic missile program must be curtailed and cited the need to reassure “states in the region, and the United States."