France's Macron talks about Iran deal with Netanyahu

By Omer Aydin

PARIS (AA) - French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urged for the maintenance of Iran’s nuclear deal, the Elysee said on Saturday.

In a statement, the Elysee Palace said that Macron emphasized the importance of maintaining the nuclear deal struck in 2015 between Iran and world powers, including the U.S. He called on all sides of the agreement “to respect the commitments they made”.

The French President had already spoken with the U.S. President Donald Trump and called on him to respect the Iran deal.

On Friday, Trump extended sanctions relief to Iran for what he said would be the final time, calling on European allies to work with Washington to fix “significant flaws” in the nuclear deal.

Trump said in a statement that he is extending relief "only in order to secure our European allies’ agreement to fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal", keeping the agreement alive, for now.

The waiver Trump signed off on Friday must be issued every 120 days, which means the U.S. will continue to honor its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) at least through the spring.