Macron: Efforts to bring US, Iran together are ‘fragile’ but rapprochement possible

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is acknowledging that his efforts to bring Iran and the US together are “fragile” but says he still sees a “possible path” to rapprochement after decades of conflict.

After inviting the Iranian foreign minister as a surprise guest to the Group of Seven summit in France, Macron says today that his risky diplomatic maneuver helped create “the possible conditions of a useful meeting.”

He expressed hope at the G7 yesterday that US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani could meet within weeks. Trump said there was a “really good chance” that could happen — but Rouhani said Tuesday that the US president must first lift sanctions imposed on Tehran.

Macron says afterward that it’s France’s responsibility to play the “role of a balancing power” and that his efforts allowed hope for a “de-escalation” of tensions.

— AP