Donald Trump dials Macron, discuss Iran nuclear standoff

US President Donald Trump on Monday discussed the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders “discussed ongoing efforts to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon and to end Iran’s destabilizing behaviour in the Middle East,” the White House said in a statement.

Iran on Monday breached a uranium enrichment cap set by a 2015 nuclear deal that the Trump administration abandoned last year.

On Saturday, Macron in an attempt to calm tension in the region said, he is trying to resume dialogue between Iran and Western partners by July 15. 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 US.

Macron expressed "strong concern about new weakening" of the 2015 accord aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. He said he would “explore between now and July 15 resumed dialogue among all parties.”

Trump warned Iran on Sunday over its imminent breach of a uranium enrichment cap. “Iran better be careful, because you enrich for one reason, and I won’t tell you what that reason is. But it’s no good. They better be careful,” Trump told reporters. 

Iran’s deputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi on Sunday blamed European countries for failing to live up to their own commitments. Speaking at a press conference, Araqshi said Iran would start enriching uranium above a low concentration - higher than 3.67% - within a few hours. The US, earlier, withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed strict sanctions on Iran.

However, the 3.67 percent enrichment limit set in the agreement is far below the more than 90 percent level required for a nuclear warhead.

UN’s nuclear watchdog last week said it will hold an emergency meeting on Iran’s nuclear programme next week. This came days after Tehran breached one of the limits set in a 2015 deal with world powers. "The meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s board of governors, which follows a US request, would be held "on 10 July at 14:30," an IAEA spokesman said.