French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday reiterated support for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in his address to the U.S. Congress. His remarks drew cheers from Democrats but a chilly reception from Iran hawks who want to withdraw from the deal.
“It is true to say that this agreement may not address all concerns and very important concerns,” Macron said. “But we should not abandon it without having something substantial and more substantial instead. … that’s why France will not leave the JCPOA, because we signed it.”
His remarks earned a standing ovation and shouts of “yes!” from Democrats in the chamber. Florida senator Marco Rubio, Texas senator Ted Cruz, and Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, meanwhile, remained seated with blank faces.
The nuclear deal took center stage during Macron’s visit, with the French president seeking to persuade President Donald Trump not to dump the deal next month. Trump threatened in January that he would reimpose certain nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in May, effectively withdrawing from the deal, if the Europeans do not agree to “fix the terrible flaws” in the agreement.
Macron on Wednesday laid out his vision for a new deal that would cover “four pillars:” Iran’s “short-term” nuclear activity before 2025—which he said Tuesday is covered under the existing deal, Iran’s nuclear activities “post-2025,” a ballistic missile fix, and measures countering Iran’s regional influence. “What I want to do and what we decided together with your president is that we can work on a more comprehensive deal addressing all these concerns,” he said.
Cruz said he strongly disagreed with the Iran deal portion of Macron’s speech.
“It is a mistake to continue with this catastrophic deal,” said Cruz. “President Trump was right to decertify the deal, and we should continue moving forward with imposing sanctions and using all available tools, economic, diplomatic, and otherwise, to ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons.”
France, Germany, and Britain have been in talks with U.S. officials for months on a so-called supplemental agreement. Negotiators have been discussing new prohibitions on Iran’s ballistic missile program, a strengthened inspection regime involving Iran’s military sites, and a solution to the deal’s expiring provisions or sunset clauses. European allies have more expressed openness on the first two than the third.
Rubio said after the address Wednesday that he still thinks the U.S. should withdraw from the deal. “There are significant deficiencies in that deal that I’m not sure can be taken care of as easily or as quickly,” he said.
He noted that the French position on the deal is stronger than that of the other Europeans negotiators, of whom he said, “[they] have domestic interests whose thirst for doing business with Iran supersedes the national security interests.”
Macron earned a generally warm reception from the chamber with his address, in which he rejected isolationism, nationalism, and unilateralism.
“We can choose isolationism, withdrawal, and nationalism. This is an option. It can be tempting to us as a temporary remedy to our fears,” he said. “But closing the door to the word will not stop the evolution of the world. It will not douse, but inflame the fears of our citizens.”
He said the U.S. must take the lead on reinventing multilateralism for the 21st century. “Your role was decisive in creating and safeguarding the free world,” he said, but warned that this freedom is easily lost.
“All of us gathered here in this noble chamber, we, elected officials, all share the responsibility to demonstrate that democracy remains the best answer to the questions and doubts that are raised today,” he said. “Even if the foundations of our progress are disrupted, we must stand firmly and fight to make our principles prevail.”
Macron’s remarks on climate change and in defense of the Paris climate accord earned thunderous applause from Democrats, while most Republicans stayed seated. “Let us work together in order to make our planet great again,” Macron said. “I’m sure, one day, the United States will come back and join the Paris agreement.”
