Macron warns of ‘worst-case scenario’ if Iran quits nuclear non-proliferation treaty, says US strikes had real impact

As conflicting reports emerge over the alleged ‘obliteration’ of Iran's nuclear sites during the strikes by the United States over the weekend, Donald Trump has found support in France's Emmanuel Macron as the French President said the bombing were 'genuinely effective’. Emmanuel Macron also warned of a “worst-case scenario” if Tehran now exits the global non-proliferation treaty.

After an EU summit in Brussels, Macron said, “The worst would be that the consequence of this is Iran's exit from the Non-Proliferation Treaty and therefore, ultimately, a drift and a collective weakening.”

He added that the aim was “that there should be no resumption” of nuclear buildup by Iran after the US strikes.

The French President also said that he would be speaking to five members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in a bid to maintain the treaty – that is meant to limit the spread of nuclear weapons.

Those talks already kicked off with a call with President Donald Trump on Thursday, June 26, in which Macron said he informed his US counterparts of contacts Paris had with Tehran in “the last few days and hours”.

“Our hope is that there will be a real convergence of views,” Emmanuel Macron said.

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Iran joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1970, committing to declare its nuclear materials to the International Atomic Energy Agency. But it has recently begun preparing the grounds for a possible withdrawal from the treaty, accusing the agency of acting as a "partner" in Israel's “war of aggression”.

US STRIKES ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR SITES

Last weekend, American B-2 bombers hit two Iranian nuclear sites with massive GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs, while a guided missile submarine struck a third site with Tomahawk cruise missiles. While Donald Trump has his administration has maintained that the military action was “success”, resulting in the “obliteration” of the nuclear facilities, a leaked preliminary intel report has suggested otherwise.

A leaked preliminary US intelligence report on assessment of Donald Trump's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities has concluded that the bombing did not destroy the nuclear program but only set it back by a few months – contrary to the claims made by the President.

It further claims that despite the strikes and with little damage Iran's nuclear sites have sustained, Tehran could restart its nuclear program within months.

The report also revealed that Iran relocated a significant portion of its highly enriched uranium – used to make a nuclear weapon – ahead of the strikes, transferring them to other secret nuclear sites.

(With agency inputs)