Trump, top Iran diplomat trade threats

President Donald Trump and Iran’s top diplomat traded sharp warnings on Tuesday, with Trump threatening “bigger problems” than ever if Tehran restarts its nuclear program. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif put the president on notice, telling The Associated Press if the U.S. pulls out of the nuclear deal, Iran “mostly likely” would abandon it, too.

In a wide-ranging interview, Zarif said a U.S. withdrawal from the landmark 2015 accord would undermine Trump’s talks with North Korea by proving that America reneges on its promises.

He said if Trump reimposes sanctions, “basically killing the deal,” Iran would no longer be bound by the pact’s international obligations, freeing it up to resume enrichment far beyond the deal’s strict limits.

“If the United States were to withdraw from the nuclear deal, the immediate consequence in all likelihood would be that Iran would reciprocate and withdraw,” Zarif said. He added: “There won’t be any deal for Iran to stay in.”

As Zarif spoke in New York on Tuesday, Trump was meeting at the White House with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been leading an effort by France, Britain and Germany to find “fixes” to the deal that would satisfy Trump’s objections. Few expect such a solution can be found by May 12, the date on which Trump has said he’ll leave the deal if there’s no fix agreed to with the Europeans.