Share

Hollande slams Trump's 'double fault' over Iran nuclear deal

Seoul - Former French president Francois Hollande has slammed Donald Trump's hardline stance on the Iran nuclear deal - which Paris helped to negotiate - as a "double fault", warning the US president's "unpredictability" threatened global stability.

Trump's threat to ditch the landmark 2015 agreement, which saw Tehran dramatically scale back its nuclear ambitions in return for an end to punishing sanctions, has sparked a chorus of foreign support for the pact.

Populist politics

"Donald Trump's decision not to certify the accord and to demand that Congress strengthen sanctions is, to my eyes, a double fault," Hollande told a conference in Seoul.

The former leader's first speech on international affairs since leaving the Elysee in May touched on global issues including climate change, economic protectionism and populist politics - and laid into the "confusion" appearing to emanate from the White House.

Trump has said the agreement was letting Iran off the hook but left it up to the US Congress to decide whether to reimpose sanctions.

The former French leader said the US president's actions showed a "deep misunderstanding of the negotiation's purpose", which was to "stop Iran from obtaining weapons, and not to make it change its politics".

He also accused Trump of "damaging the credibility of any future negotiations with North Korea" with Washington's about-turns, a concern shared by European Union ministers.

Complicate the situation

"It has to be shown that agreements will be kept to in the long term," Hollande said.

The EU said on Monday it would send its chief diplomat Federica Mogherini to Washington next month to fight for the nuclear deal.

Hollande said the world "has not been this polarised, in different ways, since 1945.

"And the role of the United States serves to further complicate the situation, especially if confusion reigns at its top."

In the face of nuclear proliferation, the world needed "certainty and stability", he added. "The worst option is unpredictability, which can lead to irrationality".

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
What is a non-negotiable when considering the election manifestos from various parties?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
A solid plan for load shedding
15% - 443 votes
Bold climate change objectives
1% - 30 votes
Roadmap for economic recovery
51% - 1523 votes
Solutions to SA's crime crisis
33% - 976 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.5%
Rand - Pound
23.95
-0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.51
-0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.5%
Platinum
895.30
-0.2%
Palladium
991.47
-1.0%
Gold
2,196.11
+0.1%
Silver
24.46
-0.8%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
67,818
+0.2%
All Share
74,028
+0.2%
Resource 10
56,225
+1.0%
Industrial 25
103,464
+0.2%
Financial 15
16,455
-0.4%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE