The French leader tells Der Spiegel that President Trump's threats to abandon the Obama-era deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear weapons program could open "Pandora's box," leading the US and European allies toward armed conflict.
"That would mean opening Pandora's box, it could mean war," Macron said. "I don't believe that Donald Trump wants war."
Macron made a strong push for the US to remain in the deal during his visit last month to the White House, but told reporters afterward that he thought Trump would decide to exit the deal.
“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 said.
Such a move "can work in the short term but it’s very insane in the medium to long term,” he added.
Iranian leaders have already pledged to abandon the deal if the US withdraws, dismissing the possibility of continuing with the agreement solely with America's European allies.
If the Trump administration were to pull out, "it means that there is no deal left," Iranian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Hamid Baeidinejad told CNN on Wednesday.
Despite this, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said this week that the US will "likely" exit the deal "absent overcoming the shortcomings, the flaws."
LR/PR