Emmanuel Macron will meet Donald Trump on Monday carrying a message that the US must remain committed to a flawed nuclear deal with Iran because there is no “plan B”. In an interview on the eve of his trip to Washington as the first foreign leader to be afforded a full state visit by the American president, the French president discussed his reputation as the “Trump whisperer” and his hopes for averting a trade war. He also insisted the US was committed to rebuilding Syria, warning that Mr Turmp's threatened withdraw could leave the door open to Iran to fill the void. Iran and alliance-building are expected to dominate his meetings with an American president known for his unilateralist instincts. In particular, officials say they will discuss Iran on Tuesday ahead of a May 12 deadline for Mr Trump to decide whether to reimpose sanctions and scuttle the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Mr Macron said the deal was not perfect but he would implore Mr Trump not to abandon it for fear of turning Iran into another North Korea. How the UK's special relationship with the US was replaced by Macron's 'relation spéciale' “What is the plan B? I don’t have any plan B for nuclear against Iran,” he said. But he said he agreed with Mr Trump that more needed to be done to rein in Tehran’s development of ballistic missiles and its meddling across the Middle East. “My point is to say don’t leave now the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] as long as you don’t have a better option for nuclear and let’s complete it with ballistic missile and regional containment,” he said. Iran nuclear talks The 2015 deal between Iran, the United States, the UK and four other world powers unpicked Tehran’s nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. Mr Trump has repeatedly called it one of the worst deals ever negotiated and chafed at having to periodically endorse it. At the weekend the Iranian foreign minister threatened “drastic action” if the US withdrew. “America never should have feared Iran producing a nuclear bomb, but we will pursue vigorously our nuclear enrichment,” he said in New York where he is attending a UN general assembly meeting. Mr Macron has emerged as a leading ally of Mr Trump at a time when many world leaders have quietly distanced themselves from the occupant of the White House. Although Mr Macron has faced criticism for his stance at home, his prize is to be feted in Washington with an address to Congress and the full pomp of a state dinner tomorrow. He explained his “Trump whisperer” nickname as the result of their shared experience of unexpected election victories. “We have a very special relationship because both of us are probably the mavericks of the system on both sides,” he said. Schedule | Macron's State Visit to US At the same time he said he hoped Mr Trump would drop his plans for tariffs on aluminium and steel and said he was bringing a wider message that the president needed allies if he

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