President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the P5+1 nuclear deal is setting the stage for a new battle with European countries who remain party to the deal. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton are both threatening that the US will sanction European businesses who retain ties to Iran in defiance of US wishes.
In comments on CNN, Bolton said that the administration expects that “the Europeans will see that it’s in their interests to come along with us” and withdraw from the nuclear deal themselves, adding it was possible European companies would face sanctions if the “conduct of other governments” doesn’t fall in line.
Pompeo also said he couldn’t rule out such sanctions, though he expressed hope that the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal would force the world to strike a new deal. So far, no other nation has shown the inclination to negotiate such a deal.
The rest of the parties to the deal are trying to save the existing deal without the US. The European Union is also making a move to block the possibility of US sanctions against European companies. The EU did exactly the same in 1996 after the US tried to block them doing business with Cuba.
The Trump Administration seems to expect their withdrawal from the deal to snap back the global sanctions on Iran to pre-2015 levels. That’s clearly not going to be the case, however, and attempts to force the issue with Europe, where a number of companies have made substantial infrastructure deals with Iran since the deal was signed.
Time for Europe and the world stand up against US and Israeli aggression before the Zionist war mongers and neocons take the US down for their causes. The “special” relationship will be written as the worst parasitic entanglement in US history.
I wonder if our European vassals will cave. Pissing off the whole world for Israel’s benefit.
Maybe it is time for Europe to grow up and tell the US that if it sanctions European Companies, then Europe will seriously consider making all transactions in the EU in Euros only no US dollars allowed, contrary to what the US thinks the European trading block, does not need the US at all! Remember Trump said trade wars are easy to win! Maybe we will get to see if they are, somehow I don’t think Trump will last two months as President, if the Europeans decide to actually tell him where to go.
Oh, I don’t know…there is an awful lot of “stupid” in the US.
But the europeans would have develop a spine first.
I would expect to see American Allies down to Israel and maybe the Togo, Palau, The Marshall Islands, Guatemala and Honduras, (Assuming they are all paid appropriately) in less than a year.
A “better deal”? For whom? And to be followed by a new and yet another better deal and so on until Iranians accept a type of govt that gets to love Israel and US?
EU has the option to renew or completely abandon the JCPOA until sunshine comes along in ca. seven years.
Meanwhile EU has an option to trust IAEA or Israel [or Trump and Netanyahu].
It is far past the time for the rest of the world to start acting on the obvious knowledge that the U.S. government is not reliable, has zero credibility, and is fast losing economic leverage as we inflate and borrow our way to bankruptcy.