U.S. Official: Trump and Macron to Discuss Iran Nuclear Deal

A senior U.S. government official stated on Friday, April 20, that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, and Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, will meet next Tuesday at the White House to discuss the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, negotiations, and consultations. According to Reuters, the official, speaking to reporters, added that negotiations with European countries regarding U.S. concerns about the JCPOA are still ongoing. The official, who requested anonymity, also mentioned that Trump and Macron will discuss other issues, such as the joint military attack on Syria last week in response to chemical attacks in Douma. Emmanuel Macron will be on a three-day visit to Washington and is scheduled to address a joint session of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., Russia, China, France, the U.K., and Germany, reached an agreement in July 2015 to resolve Iran's nuclear program and lift international sanctions against it. Under this agreement, the JCPOA, Iran agreed to halt many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of nuclear sanctions against the country. Donald Trump, who has referred to the nuclear deal with Iran as 'the worst deal,' set a deadline last December to 'fix the flaws of the JCPOA,' which expires on May 12. The U.S. President has given Germany, France, and the U.K. a deadline to amend the deal, otherwise, he will not extend the suspension of sanctions against Iran under the JCPOA. The senior U.S. official also stated that European countries, especially these three countries, are working hard to address some of our serious concerns regarding the missile program or the sunset clause in the nuclear deal. However, he added that this work is not yet complete. Robert Wood, the U.S. representative on disarmament, stated on Wednesday that negotiations with European countries are very 'intense' as the deadline set by the U.S. President approaches. Donald Trump has set four conditions for the U.S. to continue its participation in the JCPOA: 'immediate' access for international inspectors to all Iranian sites and facilities, making restrictions on Iran's nuclear program permanent, ensuring that Iran does not approach nuclear weapons, and limiting Iran's long-range missile program; as Mr. Trump stated, the long-range missile program and Iran's nuclear weapons program are 'inseparable.' Meanwhile, Iranian officials have rejected any revision of the nuclear agreement.