Macron, Rouhani discuss ‘preserving’ Iran nuclear agreement

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday spoke with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani over the phone to discuss a nuclear agreement which has been the center of controversy over the past few months.

According to a statement released by the Elysee, Macron and Rouhani “agreed to work together in coming weeks to preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.”

The conversation lasted over an hour, the statement said, where the French President suggested “three additional, indispensable subjects” be included in discussions of the nuclear pact.

The three subjects were Tehran’s ballistic missile programs, its nuclear activities beyond 2025, and “the main regional crises” in the Middle East, Macron’s office said.

Rouhani, meanwhile, said the deal was non-negotiable, according to remarks carried by the Iranian presidency website.

“The nuclear deal or any other subject under its pretext is not negotiable in any way,” he said. “Iran will not accept any restrictions beyond its commitments.”

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed between Iran, the US, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, and France in 2015.

Iran signed the deal promising to halt its nuclear program in return for the lifting of international sanctions.

US President Donald Trump, a close ally of France and Macron, has often criticized the 2015 deal and has threatened to scrap the current agreement unless new, more stringent restrictions were imposed on Iran by May 12.

Macron, who recently visited Washington, encouraged Trump not to leave the JCPOA but called for a stricter position on Iran’s “ballistic missile program and regional containment” instead.

He added that the US must remain committed to the agreement as there was no “plan B.”