TEHRAN – Former chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili says Donald Trump’s bullying and Emanuel Macron’s deception will be responded to by the Iranian youth’s national faith.

Jalili made the remarks while referring to the unveiling of the domestically-built missile defense system, dubbed “Bavar-373” (faith), ISNA reported on Tuesday.

“The only response to this maximum pressure of Trump and small gestures of Macron is the great faith of the Iranian nation and the efforts of this land’s children and nothing else,” says former chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.

“The only response to this maximum pressure of Trump and small gestures of Macron is the great faith of the Iranian nation and the efforts of this land’s children and nothing else,” he said.

The comments came after President Macron said that G7 leaders had agreed to a joint action on Iran with the aim of defusing tensions and opening a new negotiation with Tehran.

“We agreed on what we wanted to say jointly on Iran,” Reuters quoted Macron as saying on Sunday. “There is a message from the G7 on our objectives and the fact that we share them is important, which avoids divisions that in the end weaken everybody.”

“Everyone wants to avoid a conflict, Donald Trump was extremely clear on that point.”

Earlier, a French official said the French president had shared details of the plan to ease tensions with Iran during his working lunch with President Donald Trump at the G-7 summit. 

The official, who was speaking anonymously in accordance with the French presidency’s customary practices, said France has been working for several weeks on the plan, the Associated Press reported on Saturday.

The diplomat said France and the United States share the same interests, which he claimed to be preventing “a nuclear-armed Iran.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday met with Macron in Paris to discuss the implementation of the nuclear deal, which is also known as the JCPOA.

“France presented some suggestions to Iran on how to implement the JCPOA and the steps that both sides need to take. We also presented some suggestions on how to fully implement the JCPOA,” Zarif stated.

Trump has adopted a maximum pressure policy against Iran since he walked away from the JCPOA. The policy includes sanctions on Iran’s economy, especially its oil exports, and bans on top Iranian figures and organizations.

MH/