France will not abandon Iran nuclear deal: French Prez Emmanuel Macron

He said the agreement may not address all and important concerns, "but we should not abandon it without having something substantial and more substantial instead," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron / AFP PHOTO / Ludovic MARIN

Washington: French President Emanuel Macron said on Wednesday that France will not leave the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and pushed for a comprehensive agreement with Tehran to address the US concerns. "There is an existing framework called the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) to control the nuclear activity of Iran. We signed it at the initiative of the US. We signed it, both the United States and France. That is why we cannot say we should get rid of it like that," Macron said in his joint address to the US Congress. He said the agreement may not address all and important concerns, "but we should not abandon it without having something substantial and more substantial instead," he said. The US and its President Trump, he said, will have to see its responsibilities regarding the issue. "But what I want to do, and what we decided together with your president, is that we can work on a more comprehensive deal addressing all of his concerns," he said. The objective on Iran, he said, was clear that it shall never possess any nuclear weapons. "Not now, not in five years, not in 10 years,  never. But this policy should never lead us to war in the Middle East," he said. "We must ensure stability and respect sovereignty of the nations, including that one of Iran, which represents a great civilisation. Let us not replicate past mistakes in the region. Let us not be naive on one side. Let us not create new walls ourselves on the other side," Macron said.