Trump dampens Macron optimism on Iran talks

US President Donald Trump appeared to brush aside French efforts to mediate with Iran yesterday, saying that while he was happy for President Emmanuel Macron to reach out to Tehran to defuse tensions he would carry on with his own initiatives.

Macron, who has pushed mediation efforts in recent weeks to avoid a further deterioration in the region, had told LCI television that the G7 had agreed on joint action on Iran. The French presidency said G7 leaders had even agreed that Macron should hold talks and pass on messages to Iran after they discussed the issue over dinner at a summit in southwestern France on Saturday evening.

However, Trump, who has pushed a maximum pressure policy on Iran, pushed back.

Asked if he had signed off on a statement that Macron intends to give on behalf of the G7 on Iran, Trump said: "I haven't discussed this. No I haven't," he told reporters, adding that Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were free to talk to Iran.

Macron appeared to backtrack on his own team's comments later, saying there was no formal mandate from the G7 leaders to pass a message to Iran.

In another development, the Royal Navy announced Saturday that a third British warship was heading to the Gulf, amid heightened tensions in the region.

Britain has already sent the HMS Kent to cover for frigate HMS Montrose while it undergoes maintenance in nearby Bahrain, and is now redirecting the Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender from its mission to the Pacific.

Britain outraged Iran by seizing one of its tankers -- the Grace 1 -- on July 4 on suspicion it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.