File Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May (front) arrive for a joint press conference at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 27, 2017. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday spoke with British Prime Minister Theresa May over phone, and discussed the bilateral trade ties, the Iran nuclear issue and the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit.
According to a White House statement, Trump also called for a new and comprehensive deal that addresses all aspects of Iran's alleged "destabilizing" behavior, including in Yemen and Syria.
Trump announced to exit the Iran nuke deal in May, despite European nations' protests.
Trump also "underscored the need to rebalance trade with Europe" and expressed hope for a Brexit deal that does not increase tensions on the Northern Ireland border.
U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union (EU), Canada and Mexico took effect on June 1. Trump has decided not to extend the temporary steel and aluminum tariff exemptions for these three key trading partners. The move followed earlier metals tariffs on countries around the world.
The two leaders also discussed their goals for the upcoming G7 summit on June 8 and 9 in Quebec, Canada, and look forward to Trump's visit to Britain in July.
U.S. Department of State on April 26 confirmed that Trump will pay a working visit to Britain on July 13. The visit would start after Trump attended the NATO summit slated for July 11-12 in Brussels.
Trump made a sudden announcement on Jan. 11 that he has canceled his trip to Britain due to disappointment over the new location of the U.S. embassy in London.
The trans-Atlantic alliance between the United States and Britain has been shaky ever since Trump assumed the presidency last January. His proposal of a strict ban on Muslim immigration has sparked wide controversy in the island nation. Matters got even worse when Trump retweeted video posts of a British ultra-rightist group targeting Muslim immigrants in November.
Trump and May also discussed the upcoming summit meeting between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) slated for June 12 in Singapore.
