Still, Macron and his allies also believed that, for once, they held some cards in their dealings with Trump. The United States needs European mine-clearing capacities to re-open the Strait of Hormuz and stabilize the world’s oil trade after the war in Iran, something Trump repeatedly demanded at the G7 summit.
The second phase of U.S.-Iran talks, if the first deal is signed Friday, will address Iran’s nuclear program and will involve France, Germany and the U.K., the original custodians of the 2015 U.N. sanctions against Iran.
The U.S. is also coming under heavy pressure at home over fears the provisional accord with Iran will fall apart. “Trump needs our support. We have given him some comfort,” the European official said.
Crucially, however, even Trump appeared satisfied with the outcome in France, for now at least.
“I think President Macron … did a great job, by the way, did a really fantastic job,” he said.
Only on leaving did Trump realise there was something he should have brought up amid all the bonhomie with the French leader.
“We didn’t discuss Greenland. I should’ve discussed Greenland.”