Macron says Iran nuke deal not enough; Tillerson meets Zarif

France's President Emmanuel Macron declared Wednesday that the Iran nuclear deal is no longer a sufficient safeguard against the growing power that Tehran wields in its region.

"We need the 2015 accord," he said of the agreement. "Is this accord enough? It is not, given the growing pressure that Iran is applying in the region."

Macron was speaking in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, while ministers from Iran the six world powers that signed the accord met to discuss it.

US President Donald Trump, who was elected after the deal was signed, has threatened to pull out if Iran does not face greater controls on its missile and nuclear programs.

The other deal signatories, including France, insist it remains the best way to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb -- but Macron has said it could be improved.

He told reporters that Iran's ballistic missile program must be curtailed and cited the need to reassure "states in the region, and the United States."

Tillerson, Zarif in first meeting with partners on Iran nuclear deal
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 20, 2017 - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson joined Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the United Nations on Wednesday for a first meeting with partners backing the Iran nuclear deal.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is chairing the closed-door meeting to discuss the 2015 deal that President Donald Trump has threatened to scrap unless it is re-opened for negotiations.

Trump is due to report to the US Congress by October 15 on whether he can certify that Iran is upholding its side of the accord, under which it accepted limits on its nuclear program.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he had reached a decision, but did not elaborate.

"I have decided. I'll let you know what the decision is," he said.

Under the nuclear deal, Iran surrendered much of its enriched uranium, dismantled a reactor and submitted nuclear sites to UN inspection, while Washington and Europe lifted some sanctions.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the UN General Assembly earlier that the nuclear deal was endorsed by the UN Security Council and its fate could not be decided by "one or two countries."

Trump in his speech a day earlier called the nuclear deal "an embarrassment" for the United States and Tillerson later confirmed that the agreement must be "revisited."

France open to post-2025 talks; Iran says US seeking to undermine deal
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 18, 2017
France stepped up global efforts to convince US President Donald Trump not to abandon the Iran nuclear deal Monday, suggesting a way could be found to prolong its effects. Trump has signalled he is ready to declare Iran in breach of its side of the 2015 accord - which he has branded the "worst deal ever" - as early as next month. And if the White House "decertifies" Iran's compliance, ... read more

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