Putin, Macron urge ‘ strict’ observance of Iran N- deal
Moscow, April 30: Russian President Vladimir Putin and French leader Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged the world to stick with the Iranian nuclear deal as US President Donald Trump weighs up whether to scrap it.
The Kremlin said Putin and Macron were both calling for “strict observance” of the hard- fought 2015 agreement, which Mr Trump has threatened to torpedo.
The US leader has a May 12 deadline to decide on whether or not to walk away from the deal, which he has derided as “insane” partly because its restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities begin expiring in 2025.
Mr Macron's office said he and Putin “expressed their common will to preserve the gains from the agreement”, which saw Iran agree to freeze its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
On Sunday, US national security advisor John Bolton said that Mr Trump had yet to decide whether or not to walk away from the agreement. The US suspended nuclear- related sanctions after the deal was agreed, but the President has regularly to confirm the waiver.
Major European powers Britain, France and Germany all remain committed to the deal, saying it is the best way to keep Tehran from getting a nuclear bomb.
But Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who on Monday announced he was set to speak about a “significant development” on the deal — have called for it to be altered or scrapped.