FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron said he believes U.S. President Donald Trump will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal next month “for domestic reasons,” describing the U.S. as “insane” for its constant global policy U-turns, according to reports. Macron’s remarks appeared to be a concession that he may have failed to convince Trump to stay party to the agreement during his three-day visit to Washington. Trump has repeatedly threatened to ditch the landmark deal, which obliges Iran to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the suspension of economic sanctions. Trump has long criticized the agreement as being too soft on Iran, but has signed several waivers to continue the suspension of the sanctions during his time in office, keeping the deal alive. He has said more recently that he will refuse to sign the next round of waivers May 12 unless the agreement is amended to take a tougher stance. “My view — I don’t know what your President will decide — is that he will get rid of this deal on his own, for domestic reasons,” Macron told U.S. reporters in Washington on Wednesday, according to the Guardian. He said he did not have any specific inside information, but believed there was “a big risk” Trump would leave, according to CBS. In reference to Trump having pulled the U.S. from the Paris climate change agreement as well, Macron said changes in the U.S. stance on several world issues might work in the short term but were “very insane in the medium to long term,” the Guardian reported. Trump used the same term to describe the Iran deal on Tuesday, speaking alongside Macron at a joint press conference. “It’s insane, it’s ridiculous, it shouldn’t have ever been made. But we’ll be talking about it,” Trump said. “It was a terrible deal.” Iran has said it will not accept any alternative deal and threatened to resume nuclear activity should the current agreement be scrapped. (SD-Agencies) |