Agreement with France on Iran nuclear deal could come ‘fairly quickly’

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, April 24, 2018.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States could soon reach a deal with France that would preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Trump made his comments during a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, who is trying to dissuade his American counterpart from pulling out of the accord.

“We understand each other, and we’ll see how that comes out,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “We could have at least an agreement among ourselves fairly quickly. I think we’re fairly close to understanding each other, and I think our meeting, our one-on-one went very, very well.”

The deal in question is the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement reached between Iran and six world powers in 2015 that placed limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Trump has called the accord the worst deal ever. Earlier this year, he said he would withdraw the United States from the accord if he could not reach a deal with France, Germany and the UK to toughen the terms of the agreement by May 12, when Trump faces a deadline to waive or restore sanctions on Iran.

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