U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized pomp and ceremony on Monday as Macron began a state visit to Washington likely to be dominated by differences over trade and the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran.
As Macron headed to the U.S., the Iranian government urged European leaders to convince Trump not to tear up the 2015 deal between Tehran and six world powers.
The French president said on Sunday there was no "plan B" for keeping a lid on Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
One of Macron's key objectives on this trip is to rescue what is formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which Trump has said he would scrap by May 12 unless European allies fix what he calls "terrible flaws."
"This visit is very important in our current context, with so many uncertainties, troubles and at times threats," Macron said in French as he arrived in Washington.
The agreement, reached between Iran and six world powers – the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany – was born of long-standing concern among major powers that Iran was seeking to develop an atomic weapon and imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief for Tehran. Critics of the pact, including Trump, have said it does not adequately contain Iran.
Trump sees three defects: a failure to address Iran's ballistic missile program; the terms under which international inspectors can visit suspect Iranian nuclear sites; and "sunset" clauses under which limits on the Iranian nuclear program start to expire after 10 years.
Trump's opposition to the deal has been welcomed by Israel, which has rejected the pact since it was being hammered out under former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.
"Israel will not allow regimes that seek our annihilation to acquire nuclear weapons. This is why we opposed so resolutely the Iran deal, because it gives Iran a clear path to a nuclear arsenal," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech to foreign diplomats on Monday in Jerusalem.
Listing objections, Netanyahu added, "This is why this deal has to be either fully fixed or fully nixed."
Minutes after Macron touched down in the United States, the White House said it had no announcements on the Iran deal.
"The president has been extremely clear that he thinks it's a bad deal. That certainly has not changed," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.
Macron had said on "Fox News Sunday" that it would be better to protect the deal instead of getting rid of it. "Is this agreement perfect and this JCPOA a perfect thing for our relationship with Iran? No. But what do you have as a better option? I don't see it," he said.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said both Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Friday, would urge the U.S. president to stay in the deal.
"We believe it is extremely important to uphold this agreement. Were it to fail or the U.S. to drop out, we would not have anything comparable to it and we fear that the situation would significantly deteriorate with everything that goes with it," Maas told reporters at a meeting in Toronto of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations.
Britain's foreign minister, Boris Johnson, echoed this sentiment, telling reporters in Toronto that "there is a strong view around the [G-7] table that we need to make the case for the JCPOA."
"We accept that Iranian behavior has been disruptive in the region, we accept the president [Trump] has some valid points that need to be addressed, but we believe they are capable of being addressed [inside the deal]," Johnson said.
On a visit to Beijing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he had agreed with his Chinese counterpart to block any U.S. attempt to sabotage the deal.
At a nuclear nonproliferation conference in Geneva on Monday, there were repeated calls for parties to the deal to ensure its implementation and preservation.
U.N. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu said it "continues to be the best way to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program and to realize the promised tangible economic benefits for the Iranian people."
Trump's threat to reimpose U.S economic sanctions on oil-producing Iran have been one factor helping drive up global oil prices this month to their highest since late 2014.
Macron and Trump are also due to discuss Syria, less than two weeks after the United States, France and Britain launched airstrikes there in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens.
Macron said last week he believed he had persuaded Trump to keep U.S. troops in Syria, though Trump has been insistent on bringing them home.
Macron's visit is the first time Trump has hosted a state visit since he took power in January 2017. While the French leader has tried to develop a close relationship with Trump since he took office last May, he has so far seen few tangible results on issues from Iran to climate politics.
Macron and his wife, Brigitte, shortly after their arrival at the Blair House residence, took quickly to the streets of Washington, walking past the White House complex to the Lincoln Memorial and greeting tourists.
Macron brought with him an oak tree sapling for planting on the South Lawn of the White House. The tree came from the Belleau Woods, site of a World War I battle in 1918 where 9,000 Americans died. Trump and Macron shoveled dirt on the freshly planted tree as the cameras clicked. "France is a very special country," said Trump. "It's a great honor."
Trump, his wife Melania and the Macrons then flew aboard the Marine One helicopter to dine at Mount Vernon, the Virginia home of George Washington, the first U.S. president and Revolutionary War commander whose alliance with France was critical to victory over the British.
The Trumps and Macrons spent about two hours at Mount Vernon. "We had a great dinner," Trump told reporters as they boarded the helicopter for the return trip to the White House.
Working meetings will be held at the White House on Tuesday before Macron addresses the U.S. Congress the following day, the anniversary of the day French General Charles de Gaulle addressed a joint session of Congress in 1960.
Trump and Macron began their friendship a year ago in Belgium with a jaw-clenching handshake. While some other European leaders have kept a distance from Trump, Macron has worked hard to remain close to the U.S. president. The two leaders speak frequently by phone.
Macron also wants to persuade Trump to exempt European nations from metal tariffs that are part of the U.S. president's plan to reduce chronic trade deficits with countries around the world, primarily China.
His visit comes at a time of mounting alarm in Europe over the effect that U.S. sanctions on Russia will have on their own manufacturing industries.
French officials said Paris and other European governments were coordinating efforts to persuade Trump to ease sanctions on Russia, including measures against Russian aluminum producers.
"There are concerns raised by the extraterritoriality effects of the new sets of sanctions," a French Finance Ministry source said. "Europeans ... have jointly warned the U.S. administration about the economic impact and consequences and the need to find solutions."
The official said France, Germany, Italy and Ireland were working together on the matter.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold talks with Trump in Washington later in the week.
