US President Donald Trump told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that he will pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing a person briefed on the conversation.
Consequently, pre-deal sanctions will be re-imposed on the Islamic republic, a move Iran has warned that it would retaliate to.
Macron was one of several European leaders who had lobbied Trump to remain in the deal, arguing it remains the best way to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions, during his visit to the White House last month.
The Iran nuclear deal was signed by Trump’s predecessor Barrack Obama along with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, Russia, and the European Union in 2015.
The deal entailed rolling back Iran’s uranium enrichment and allowing the International Atomic Energy Agency to access the country’s nuclear sites to ensure its compliance with the agreement, in return for easing economic sanctions on Iran, allowing it to export crude oil, and permitting foreign investments to flow into the country.
