Iran-US spat- Trump discusses nuclear standoff with Macron, says W.House

US President Donald Trump discussed the standoff over Iran's nuclear program with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday, the White House said. The two leaders "discussed ongoing efforts to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon and to end Iran's destabilizing behavior in the Middle East," the White House said in a statement.

Iran on Monday breached a uranium enrichment cap set by a 2015 nuclear deal that the Trump administration abandoned last year. Washington has imposed punishing sanctions on Tehran, and tensions between the two sides have risen further amid Iran's downing of an American drone and attacks on tanker ships the US has blamed on the Islamic republic.

Iran -- which also passed a 300-kilogram limit on enriched uranium reserves this month -- says it is not violating the deal, citing terms of the agreement allowing one side to temporarily abandon some commitments if it deems the other side is not respecting its part of the accord.