European Powers Finalizing Proposal To Persuade President Trump To Stick With Iran Nuclear Deal

France, Britain and Germany reportedly are finalizing a proposal to present to U.S. President Donald Trump in a last-ditch effort to persuade him not to ditch the Iran nuclear accord. The news comes a day after French President Emmanuel Macron committed to working towards a “new deal with Iran” following a meeting at the White House with his American counterpart. During their joint press conference, President Trump again trashed the 2015 agreement—describing it as “insane”—and renewed his call to amend it ahead of a May 12 deadline for him to decide whether or not to re-impose sanctions on Tehran. “Nobody knows what I’m going to do on the 12th,” President Trump asserted, before quipping to President Macron, “you have a pretty good idea.” Notably, the French leader one day later publicly predicted that President Trump will withdraw from the deal “on his own for domestic reasons.” The White House has for months been lobbying European powers to devise a follow-on accord to eliminate the pact’s so-called “sunset clauses, which remove limitations on Iran’s ability to enrich uranium in just over a decade; as well as to curb the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program and regional expansionism, particularly its involvement in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated that Tehran would “most likely” follow suit if the U.S. withdraws from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in which case, he added, it is “probable” the Islamic Republic would jump-start its uranium enrichment program.