FILE PHOTO – U.S. President Donald Trump escorts British Prime Minister Theresa May after their meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
May 5, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday on issues including the Iran nuclear deal, a week before the president is to decide whether Washington will leave the pact, the White House said.
Trump is set to decide by May 12 whether to withdraw from the 2015 Iran deal, in which the Islamic Republic agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump has all but decided to withdraw White House officials said on May 2.
Still, Trump could figure out a way to stay in the deal between the Islamic Republic and six world powers including Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
Britain, France and Germany agreed that the deal is the best way of stopping Tehran from getting nuclear weapons, May’s office said in late April.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with Trump in Washington last month, urged the president to stay in the deal.
In the call with May, Trump “underscored his commitment to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon,” the White House said.
The two also talked about nuclear issues in North Korea. “As planning continues for his upcoming meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Trump emphasized his goal of a denuclearized North Korea,” the White House said. Trump is slated visit the United Kingdom in July.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Richard Chang)
