- The Trump administration has accused US European allies of “siding with the ayatollahs.”
- The US wants to reintroduce sanctions on Tehran, which were lifted by the 2015 nuclear deal.
- However, the United Kingdom, France and Germany have refused to comply.
- Trump walked away from The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Europe in 2018.
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The Trump administration is on a collision course with its European allies after refusing to support a controversial US move to re-impose sanctions on Iran.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday accused the United Kingdom, France and Germany of “siding with the ayatollahs” after they said the US could not use a “snapback” mechanism to re-impose sanctions on Iran removed under the 2015 nuclear deal.
The Trump administration is seeking sanctions again in Tehran because it believes Iran has violated the terms of the 2015 agreement.
Under the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the participating countries – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China – lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran accepting borders for its nuclear activity, with the aim of stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, the US withdrew from the 2018 agreement.
The UK government of Boris Johnson this week published a joint statement with France and Germany telling the US that it could not use “snapback” measures to re-impose sanctions, as it is no longer part of the nuclear deal.
“France, Germany and the United Kingdom (‘the E3’) note that the US will cease to be a participant in the JCPoA following its withdrawal from the deal on May 8, 2018,” it stated. “We can therefore not support this action, which is compatible with our current efforts to support the JCPOA.”
Built into the 2015 agreement, “snapback” measures give a participating country the power to re-impose sanctions on Iran within 30 days if it reports to the UN Security Council that Tehran has violated the terms of the agreement.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday that the US plan to trigger the re-imposition of sanctions following the withdrawal of the deal in 2018 was “absurd”, in comments reported by the BBC.
Pompeo reacted angrily to the US plan being rejected. “Not a country, but the United States has had the courage and conviction to present a resolution. Instead, they have chosen to act the ayatollahs,” he said in comments reported by the BBC.
In further comments reported by the newspaper The Guardian, he said: “Their actions are in danger to the people of Iraq, of Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and indeed their own citizens.
“America will not participate in this failure of leadership. America will not appease. America will lead.”
The Trump administration decided to pursue “snapback” measures after its attempts to extend a UN arms embargo on Iran outside its October decay failed in embarrassing fashion. Last week, the Dominican Republic was the only country to support a US resolution at the UN Security Council to extend an arms embargo on Iran.
Regarding the vote last week, Pompeo said the UN Security Council “does not act decisively in defense of international peace and security is unforgettable.”
The disagreement over Iran is the latest episode in Washington’s incredible relationship with Europe.
Trump has a particularly difficult relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was recently strengthened by his decision to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany and US opposition a new gas pipeline connecting Germany with Russia.
