Trump undecided on scrapping Iran deal, Bolton says

"He has made no decision on the nuclear deal, whether to stay in or get out," Bolton told Fox News.

"He is certainly considering the framework, the four pillars that President (Emmanuel) Macron laid out in their meeting last week."

Earlier in the week, Trump and his French counterpart had called for a new deal with Iran after the White House chief threatened to withdraw.

Macron had proposed an additional deal that extends Iran's nuclear restrictions while also curbing its ballistic missile program and support for militias in the Middle East.

The three-year-old agreement was designed to curb Iran's nuclear programme but has been declared "insane" and "ridiculous" by Trump.

His European allies have urged him not to pull out of the accord. Macron made a visit to the White House ahead of Trump's May 12 decision on whether he will grant Iran an extension to sanctions relief.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a similar pitch when she visited Washington on Friday.

About 500 lawmakers from Germany, France and the UK urged the US Congress last week to support the Iran nuclear deal.

EU foreign ministers discussed ways to ensure the US would not pull out of the nuclear deal, but stopped short of agreeing to new sanctions on Tehran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last week warned there would be "severe consequences" if Washington backed out.

"I am telling those in the White House that if they do not live up to their commitments, the Iranian government will firmly react," Rouhani said, speaking before thousands gathered in the northwestern city of Tabriz.  

"If anyone betrays the deal, they should know that they would face severe consequences," he added. "Iran is prepared for all possible situations".

Trump dismissed the warning saying, "They're not going to be restarting anything. If they restart it, they're going to have big problems, bigger than they ever had before. And you can mark it down."

Earlier this month, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had "looked at the Iran deal, he's seen what he can get and he's seen how he can push through loopholes and we're not going to let that happen again".