Spurned by Trump, Europeans ponder how to meet Iran ultimatum
PARIS/BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON - A day before Donald Trump's Jan. 12 ultimatum to "fix" the Iran nuclear deal, European powers met Iran's foreign minister to show support for it, but the effort failed to soften Trump's aversion to the accord, US and European officials said.
The gathering in Brussels may even have reinforced the US president's antipathy, according to three US officials involved in the discussions.
Trump instead gave the European allies, Britain, France, Germany, and the US Congress 120 days to come up with a tougher approach on Tehran or see U.S. sanctions reimposed, they said.
With Trump warning of a last chance for "the worst deal ever negotiated", Britain, France and Germany have begun talks on a plan to satisfy him by addressing Iran's ballistic missile tests and its regional influence while preserving the 2015 accord that curbed Iran's nuclear ambitions for at least a decade.
