Macron Expresses Concern Over Middle East Stability in Phone Call with Trump

The French President, during a phone call with his American counterpart, expressed that he is 'deeply concerned about stability in the Middle East.' This conversation took place while the United States has exited the 'JCPOA' and Iranian and Israeli forces have confronted each other in Syria. According to the French presidency, Emmanuel Macron contacted Donald Trump on May 12 to discuss the situation in the Middle East as well as trade issues. Macron and other European leaders have repeatedly urged Trump to remain in the nuclear agreement with Iran. Macron also traveled to Washington for discussions with Trump, a move that German Chancellor Angela Merkel also undertook, but ultimately it did not yield the results that Europeans had hoped for. The U.S. President called for reforms to the JCPOA that would permanently halt Iran's nuclear program, include extensive inspections, and prevent the development of ballistic missile programs. Tehran rejected renegotiation of the JCPOA. Shortly after Trump's administration exited the nuclear agreement, the Israeli army announced that in response to rockets fired by Iranian forces towards the Golan Heights, it targeted Iranian positions in Syrian territory. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London, reported the deaths of at least eleven Iranian citizens in the Israeli attacks early Thursday. Iranian officials have not confirmed this and have remained silent on the issue of the confrontations. The confrontation in Syrian territory has drawn reactions from European and global powers. Germany, while accusing Iran of 'provocative' actions, warned that 'the escalation of enmity between Iran and Israel in the Middle East' is a matter of 'war and peace.' Britain condemned 'Iran's attacks on Israel.' A White House spokesperson stated that the attack on Israel is 'another indication that the Iranian regime cannot be trusted and clearly shows that President Trump made the right decision to exit the agreement with Iran.' Emmanuel Macron, the French President, had previously called for 'de-escalation' between Iran and Israel and had discussed this with Angela Merkel. On Saturday, Donald Trump once again criticized Iran's actions, stating, 'Iran's military budget has increased by 40 percent since the nuclear negotiations conducted by [the Obama administration]... another piece of evidence that all this was a big lie.' Concurrently, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, has traveled to Beijing, Moscow, and Brussels for discussions with other parties currently remaining in the JCPOA. In this context, France has stated that it will present new proposals regarding the JCPOA. Merkel stated that the U.S. decision to exit the JCPOA undermines the principle of trust in the global order. The U.S. ambassador to Germany stated that they expect their allies to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.