* Former Secretary of State John Kerry has reportedly met with Iran's foreign minister and other world leaders and diplomats to discuss preserving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
* President Trump tweets that Kerry's "Shadow Diplomacy" was unhelpful and "possibly illegal."
* Trump must decide by Saturday to continue suspending sanctions on Iran or renew them, a move that would imperil the nuclear deal.
Tom DiChristopher | @tdichristopher Published 11:43 AM ET Mon, 7 May 2018 Updated 3:12 PM ET Mon, 7 May 2018 CNBC.com
Video - President Trump warns John Kerry to butt out of Iran nuclear deal 3:15 PM ET Mon, 7 May 2018 | 01:11
President Donald Trump on Monday blasted John Kerry following reports that the former secretary of State has been holding talks with foreign leaders and diplomats in a bid to preserve the Iran nuclear deal.
Trump has threatened to scrap the deal unless France, Germany and the U.K. meet his demands to toughen the terms of the agreement and broaden the scope of issues the accord addresses. With a deadline to waive or restore sanctions looming on Saturday, no trans-Atlantic deal has emerged.
In a tweet, Trump said Kerry's "Shadow Diplomacy" was unwelcome and "possibly illegal."
- Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
The United States does not need John Kerry’s possibly illegal Shadow Diplomacy on the very badly negotiated Iran Deal. He was the one that created this MESS in the first place! 12:08 AM - May 8, 2018 -
The president appeared to be referring to the Logan Act, an 18th century law meant to dissuade private citizens from negotiating a dispute with a foreign power on behalf of the United States.
The law has never been used to prosecute anyone and likely would not apply to Kerry's activities because he is seeking to preserve an existing U.S. policy, Stephen Vladeck, law professor at the University of Texas, told the Globe.
In a statement following Trump's tweet, a spokesperson for Kerry told MSNBC, "Secretary Kerry stays in touch with his former counterparts around the world just like every previous Secretary of State. Like America's closest allies, he believes it is important that the nuclear agreement, which took the world years to negotiate, remain effective as countries focus on stability in the region."
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Jesse Rodriguez @JesseRodriguez
A spokesman for @JohnKerry sends over this statement in response to the tweet from @realDonaldTrump 1:14 AM - May 8, 2018 -
The nuclear deal lifted sanctions against Iran in exchange for Tehran accepting limits on its nuclear program and allowing international inspectors to monitor its activities.
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