PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron says he is trying to find a way by July 15 to resume dialogue between Iran and Western partners.
In this Thursday, July 4, 2019, photo made available by U.S. Navy, two F/A-18 Super Hornets assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW 7) drop 1000-pound general-purpose bombs during an Independence Day air power demonstration next to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in Arabian Sea. The USS Abraham Lincoln was rushed to the Mideast amid tensions between the U.S. and Iran as its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers unravels. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dan Snow/U.S. Navy via AP)
Macron’s office said in a statement that the French leader spoke for more than an hour Saturday with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani amid a standoff between Tehran and the U.S.
Macron expressed “strong concern about new weakening” of the 2015 accord aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
He said they would “explore between now and July 15 conditions for resumed dialogue among all parties.” The statement didn’t elaborate.
Europe is struggling to save the 2015 accord after President Donald Trump abandoned it last year.
Iran has set a deadline for Sunday for Europe to offer new terms to the accord, and is threatening to accelerate uranium enrichment. /gsg