Trump meets with Macron at G7 summit — NBC News

[0:00] We've worked on many deals together. I'm very happy to say very resigned. The deal's all signed. [0:09] And the strain is already partially opened. As you know, they're doing a little hunting for [0:14] a couple of mines that they've already found. But it's essentially ships are starting to go out [0:22] now on Friday. It'll be completely opened. We got along very well with Iran. It's a different [0:29] set of leaders. As you know, the first set is gone. The second set is gone. And we found [0:34] the third set to be very smart, strong, very smart. But we ended up making a deal. I felt [0:43] badly that we had to go back on the attack for two nights. And I thought a third. But [0:47] we made it before that happened. But I think a lot of great things are going to happen in [0:53] the Middle East right now. And very importantly, the oil is plummeting down. And the stock market [0:59] is shooting up like a rocket today, like record kind of numbers. And the oil has taken its [1:07] biggest plunge. And we're into the low numbers. Not quite back yet, Kevin, to the extent. But [1:15] we're getting close to the numbers we were before it all started. And the main thing is that Iran [1:20] will not have a nuclear weapon. They fully agree to that with strong policing powers. And they [1:27] won't have a nuclear weapon, which is what it was all about, because they probably would [1:33] have used it if they had it. So we had two big moments. When they terminated the JCPOA, [1:38] that was the Obama deal, the Barack Hussein Obama deal. And when I terminated that, it was [1:45] very important because it was a road to a nuclear weapon. It was a horrible deal for the United [1:50] States. It was a deal where billions of dollars was given to Iran. It was a deal where 1.7 billion [1:58] in cash was put on a Boeing 7, well, not a 7, 757, I guess, right? But it was put on a big, [2:07] beautiful Boeing 757. They needed a Boeing 747, to be honest with you, because it was a lot of cash. [2:14] 1.7 billion was taken out of the banks and given to Iran. And on top of that, tens of billions of [2:21] dollars was paid. So they tried to bribe them to make a deal. That didn't work. It never works. [2:27] And we've done a great job. And hopefully it's going to be a good relationship and we're going [2:35] to get along. And if we don't, we go back to where we started. But I don't think that's going to be [2:40] necessary. The Iran deal that we made is going to bring a lot of success to the world because [2:50] the oil was really clogged up there for a while. He would call me on occasion and say, [2:54] come on, please, let's go with the oil prices. But the oil is coming way down. So I'm very honored [3:00] by it. I want to thank you for your help. You've always been a help. And it's an honor to be with [3:06] you. We had a very good conversation yesterday with President Zelensky and President Putin. [3:13] And I see maybe we can do something. I really do. I think they're both open to it. So now that this [3:22] is finished, we're going to be focusing on that, see if we can get that one done. 25,000 people a [3:28] month are dying, mostly, mostly soldiers. And that shouldn't happen. But I had two very good [3:34] conversations yesterday. We'll be talking about it. And we had a really exciting, I think maybe one of [3:40] the most incredible evenings in the history of the White House. We had an evening last night with [3:46] the fighters. And I was very happy. I called last night, very late last night to congratulate you [3:52] because in the heavyweight division, a French fighter won. I don't know. Is that maybe more [3:59] important than the World Cup? To some people, it might be. To some people, it might be. You have a [4:04] good team in the world. Yeah. Very good team. But you have good fighters, too. And you're a great [4:09] country. And it's an honor to be with you. Thank you very much. Hey, sir, are you going to try to [4:15] attend the signing ceremony on Friday? Well, it depends. J.D.'s coming in for it. He was [4:21] originally going to do it. I'll probably be gone by then. We're having dinner in a day and a half, [4:28] right? We're going to be staying quite late. So I may be involved. I may not. But J.D. was coming [4:35] in for that specifically. Mr. President, when will the text of the MOU be released? [4:41] I think pretty soon. I would say, I mean, I want it to be released because it's a very powerful [4:47] document. It's not like the Obama document, which was just a terrible document. This is a very powerful [4:55] document. And I want it to be released. So probably pretty soon. I would say after sometime after Friday [5:02] because the straight opens completely, it's open now, but it opens completely. We'll have all the [5:09] mines knocked out for the most part. We have a lot of lanes right now already. So I think sometime, [5:17] I think sometime in the very near future. Yeah. Mr. President, does the deal involve any [5:23] sanctions relief for Iran? When would that go on? No, it doesn't. Well, they have to. It's really a [5:28] behavioral thing. If they do what they're supposed to do, that starts taking effect. [5:35] Mr. President, what do you expect from France and- [5:46] Well, I would love them to do that. I don't think we're going to need much help because we have an [5:50] agreement where it's going to be open and it's toll free. We had a little argument on that. It's toll [5:56] free. So I don't think we're going to need much help. But I don't think it's a bad idea to have [6:01] a ship or two up here from a few countries. You'd be a great country to do it because you never know [6:07] what happens. But I think it's going to be open and I think it's going to be free sailing. We do want [6:13] to see if we can straighten out the Lebanon thing because it just seems to just never end. And [6:21] that's a mini version of what we were doing. But and it should not be tough. It should not be tough. [6:26] So yes, well, we have to we have to have a little talk with them. [6:31] I just want to answer the question that was asked in the sense of the contribution. [6:40] We are ready to have, from tomorrow, [6:43] hunters who are on the ground and who can help in observation and, [6:47] under 48 hours, [6:49] ships that can obviously be deployed. And under two or three days, [6:53] the aircraft carrier with the ships that accompany the whole group. [6:56] Of course, all of this is supposed to be wanted and requested by the United States [7:01] and the Iran and the Oman, that is to say the parties prenant [7:05] of the accord and the two parties around the Detroit. And we have agrégé with the [7:14] British a mission ad hoc where already 20 countries have given their [7:20] concrete contributions and what they were ready to do. And we are four to be present in the region. [7:24] So, this is an offer. We are at the disposal. [7:27] This montre the support of the international community, [7:29] our desire to reopen this Detroit. And as said the President, [7:32] maybe it will not be expected and maybe it will not be expected. [7:37] But in any case, it is a disposition that marks our desire to help, [7:43] our support and our disponibility. And we are ready. [7:46] You are not here to be able to meet the rights of the UN. [7:49] No, no, no. No, no, we are there for discussion. [7:51] We are there for discussion. There are agreements that have been signed in advance. [7:55] Thank you very much. [7:57] Thank you. [8:00] Thank you. [8:05] Thank you. [8:09] Thank you. [8:14] Thank you. [8:16] Thank you. [8:17] A moment for the photographers and a moment for the press there at the G7 and Evian Sorban [8:21] to talk to the president or listen to the presidents of France and the United States. [8:26] Let's get to Garrett Haake, who's been standing by here, chief White House correspondent, [8:30] who's traveling with the president. [8:33] A question there about the memorandum of understanding on whatever this deal is, the U.S. and Haran [8:38] will sign on Friday when that will be released. [8:40] A lot of details folks are eagerly anticipating. [8:43] Yeah, that's right, Christine. [8:47] And the president kind of dodged, suggesting that it will come later in the week. [8:50] I can tell you that senior administration officials have indicated that that MOU should be made [8:55] public within the next 24 to 48 hours. [8:58] And I think the whole world is interested in seeing it because the details that have been [9:02] released thus far by the two governments involved have been at times contradictory. [9:07] But the president hit on, I think, what is the key part of this, that the Strait of Hormuz [9:10] will be reopened and that there is some kind of broad-spectrum agreement that Iran will not have [9:15] nor pursue a nuclear weapon. [9:17] Now, that was the status quo under the previous agreement, the JCPOA, that you heard [9:22] the president mention there meeting with Emmanuel Macron that he tore up during his first term. [9:27] So there are a lot of critics of this deal and questions about it. [9:31] But you heard both President Trump sort of laying out what he believes was accomplished here [9:36] and President Macron being quite complimentary of President Trump for how this is being handled. [9:42] And, Christine, I'll note that President Trump also said something else that was probably [9:46] very well-received by the French president, which is that he will now return his attention [9:50] to the conflict in Ukraine. [9:52] This has been something that Macron and the other European leaders have really wanted to try [9:56] to steer President Trump back towards during this G7 summit over the next couple days. [10:02] And the president giving his host a bit of an opening gift by saying outright that he's ready [10:07] to focus a little bit more on that war now that this conflict in Ukraine, [10:12] or Iran, rather, appears to be behind the United States. [10:15] Yeah, and he noted they had an excellent conversation with Zelensky [10:18] and Vladimir Zelensky and Vladimir Putin yesterday, he said. [10:22] So clearly that is something that Emmanuel Macron wants to continue. [10:25] He has been a peacemaker for months and months now on that front, a hot war right there in Europe's neighborhood. [10:31] I want to go back to Iran. [10:33] The president said Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. [10:35] Iran has agreed to that with strong policing powers. [10:38] And as you said, he criticized the prior U.S. agreement with Iran [10:43] because it gave cash to the Iranian regime. [10:46] Do we know what is in this new agreement that President Trump has forged with Iran [10:51] and if indeed it will also give cash to the Iranian regime? [10:55] Both of those points are a bit opaque right now, the cash part of it and the policing of this agreement. [11:03] What we have seen and heard from the administration so far has not laid out whether there's any kind of third party [11:09] that would verify Iran's compliance with this deal, whether it's the IAEA or some other group [11:15] that would, you know, report back on whether they've dug up and destroyed or downgraded their nuclear material. [11:20] That's very much an open question. [11:22] So, too, is what funds Iran might receive and from whom. [11:26] There's been reporting about funds set up by some of their Gulf neighbors. [11:30] There's been reporting about money around the world that might be unfrozen. [11:33] To the degree we have any information about that, it's come from senior administration officials [11:37] and from the vice president who's given some interviews today suggesting that this will all be compliance-based [11:43] so that whatever mechanism exists to ensure Iran is complying, which has not been outlined, [11:48] if Iran is complying with this deal to the United States' satisfaction over a period of weeks or months, [11:55] Iran could be reintegrated into the global economy with money unfrozen and investment money coming in. [12:02] I think what that looks like and whether that's a euphemism of some kind are big open questions [12:08] that perhaps the text of the MOU will answer. [12:11] But, again, even Vance has said in one of his interviews today [12:14] that there are side conversations with the Iranians that aren't even laid out in the MOU. [12:19] And so I think this is going to be a moving target for quite some time, Christine. [12:23] Yeah, indeed. Just quickly, the president said about Hezbollah, we have to have a little talk with them. [12:29] It sounds like Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, that's also something in this deal. [12:33] Look, this has been a huge tripwire for this deal going back for weeks. [12:41] The Iranians have viewed Israel's war in Lebanon with Hezbollah as central to these negotiations. [12:47] The U.S. had hoped to kind of push past that, but Israel continuing to strike targets in Lebanon, [12:53] including in the suburbs of Beirut in recent days, was looked at as a major threat to this deal moving forward. [13:00] The president had what's been described as a very tense conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu [13:05] with some four-letter words used here and some frustration that the Israelis were still moving aggressively [13:12] in what they say is their own defensive interests. [13:14] How Israel and Lebanon or Israel and Hezbollah more accurately continue their conflict or not in this moment [13:22] I think is another one of those things that could jeopardize this agreement in coming days or weeks if it's not contained. [13:28] All right, Garrett Haig, traveling with the president. Thank you so much, Garrett. [13:31] We're going to have more coverage ahead of the president's G7 trip throughout the day on NBC News and online at NBCnews.com. [13:37] I'm Christine Romans, NBC News Daily picks up next.