French President Emmanuel Macron stressed to U.S. President Donald Trump in a telephone call on Thursday the importance of abiding by the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, Reuters reported.
Trump for his part underscored that Iran “must stop its destabilizing activity in the region,” the White House said.
The phone call came ahead of a decision by the Trump that could reimpose sanctions on Iran.
“The president ... recalled France’s determination in favor of a strict application of the agreement and the importance of its respect by all of its signatories,” the French presidency said in a statement following the call.
“The proper implementation of the agreement should be accompanied by a strengthened dialogue with Iran on its ballistic program and its regional policy, in order to guarantee better stability in the Middle East,” it added.
In October, Trump refused to certify that Iran was complying with the deal, also known by its acronym JCPOA, but did not re-impose sanctions or abandon the deal itself. He now must decide by Friday to extend the nuclear-related sanctions relief for Iran’s central bank or re-impose the restrictions that President Barack Obama suspended two years ago.
European countries have expressed their support for the Iran deal even as Trump has criticized it. France, in particular, has been vocal in its support for the 2015 agreement, saying there is no alternative to it.
Earlier on Thursday, Foreign Ministers from the European Union (EU) met in Brussels and urged the United States not to scrap the Iran nuclear deal.