Trump signals openness on ‘new’ Iran deal
Macron’s proposals weighed, but pact still called ‘insane’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signaled new willingness Tuesday to consider what visiting French President Emmanuel Macron called “a new deal with Iran” that would address shortcomings in the existing nuclear pact, even as he continued to criticize the international agreement as “insane.”
Trump also appeared to threaten a military attack if Iran menaced the United States and railed against the hundreds of billions of dollars he said the United States has wasted on Mideast wars with “less than nothing” to show for the effort.
“If Iran threatens us in any way, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid. OK?” Trump said during a news conference with Macron.
The French president is visiting the United States this week in hopes he can persuade Trump not to abandon the nuclear deal ahead of a May 12 deadline when the United States can effectively pull out of the 2015 pact among Iran and six world powers. Trump has said he would not sign another presidential endorsement of the deal, opening the door to the reimposition of U.S. sanctions unless the agreement could be amended. The White House refers to the ultimatum as “fix it or nix it.”
Macron has spent little time this week publicly defending the pact, instead focusing his efforts on appealing to Trump’s view of himself as an unorthodox dealmaker.
“I think this is what we’ve been agreeing upon today,” Macron said. “It’s not about tearing apart an agreement and have nothing, but it’s about building something new that will cover all of our concerns.”
Macron is the emissary for a European proposal to add safeguards that address some of Trump’s main complaints about the deal reached under his predecessor, Barack Obama. German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in Washington on Friday and is also expected to press Trump on Iran. The proposed side agreements between the United States and Europe could push for international inspection of Iranian military sites and apply sanctions if Iran crossed certain thresholds in its missile testing.
Macron described “a new deal with four pillars” covering U.S. and European concerns over whether Iran is concealing any current nuclear activities; the prospect that it might return to some activities when provisions of the deal expire in 2025; ballistic missile testing; and Iran’s alleged destabilizing activities in the Middle East.
Syria, he said, falls into the last category. Trump praised French help with allied missile strikes in Syria this month.
While expressing willingness to entertain keeping the United States in the Iran deal, Trump also made clear he has little use for the agreement and seemed to relish the focus on what he will decide with the May 12 deadline approaching.
“Nobody knows what I’m going to do on the 12th. Although Mr. President, you have a pretty good idea,” Trump said to Macron at the news conference. “But we’ll see.”
Macron said the two leaders discussed the Syrian civil war and Iranian influence there.
Iran has promised to resume nuclear activities it set aside under the deal if the U.S. breaks the agreement by reapplying nuclear-related sanctions. But Trump had a warning of his own.
“It won’t be so easy for them to restart. They’re not going to be restarting anything,” Trump said at the beginning of a large meeting with Macron and his delegation. “If they restart it, they’re going to have big problems — bigger than they’ve ever had before. And you can mark it down.”
Macron will address a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, where he will have the chance to speak to skeptics of the nuclear accord in both parties.