A day after the United States re-imposed international sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran; Israeli intelligence officials voiced optimism about the chances of reaching a new agreement with Tehran that will not exclusively target its nuclear aspirations, but will also encompass all international concerns regarding the Islamic Republic’s aggressive policies, including Iran’s military activities across the Middle East and its ballistic missile program. The Israeli intelligence officials further assess that the American sanctions will have a severe impact on Iran and will force the regime to change its policies. That said, bringing the Ayatollah regime to its knees may take longer than initially expected, since the European Union took an active decision to turn its back on its ally, the United States, in favor of the Islamic Republic. The European Union had time and again declared its intension to take necessary action to preserve the multinational nuclear deal, including a series of measures to counter U.S. restrictions by protecting – what E.U. officials dubbed “promising business ties with the Islamic republic.”
The European measures include four elements, that consist of the following: The enabling of a so-called “blocking statute”, which is a 1996 regulation that prohibits EU companies and courts from complying with laws that govern foreign sanctions, and stipulates that no foreign court judgments based on these laws would have any effect in the European bloc. In addition, the measures aim to remove obstacles that allow the European Investment Bank to support EU investment in Iran, and will aim to strengthen its sectoral cooperation with the Islamic Republic, while providing additional financial assistance through two special funding instruments. Furthermore, the European Union will also seek to encourage its member states to “explore the possibility of one-off transfers” to Iran’s central bank, so this would help Iranian authorities to bypass the U.S. sanctions and receive their oil-related revenues from the European Union. EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini, who is on a work visit to New Zeeland, emphasized the EU’s efforts to keep Iran in the deal, alleging that the agreement remains a “security interest” not only of Europe, but of the entire world.
“So the deal has two parts: Iran gives up their nuclear program and the international community opens up trade and economic relations with Iran. This second pillar has to be maintained if we want the first pillar to be maintained and so far Iran has been compliant fully with their nuclear commitments.”/ “This ‘blocking statute’ has now been updated so the legislation in Europe protects European businesses from the effects of the U.S. sanctions, indicating to these companies that they should comply with European legislation rather than with American ones.” / “We are doing our best to keep Iran in the deal, to keep Iran benefiting from the economic benefits that the agreement brings to the people of Iran because we believe that this is the security interests of not only our region but also of the world. If there is one piece of international agreements on nuclear non-proliferation that is delivering, it has to be maintained,” EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said.
While the European Union, together with China and Russia, aim to bolster the Islamic Republic in the face of crippling U.S. sanctions, Israel and Saudi Arabia – which are the main adversaries affected by Iran’s ‘malign activities’ in the Middle East – warmly welcomed Washington’s move. In a televised statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that the re-imposed sanctions on Iran signifies the determination to halt Iran’s regional aggression, as well as its plans to arm itself with nuclear weapons. The Israeli leader also took the opportunity to call on European states, who talk about thwarting Iran’s aggressive policies, to join the American move. “I praise President Trump and the American administration for the decision to impose sanctions on Iran. This is an important moment for Israel, for the U.S., the region and the entire world. It signifies the determination to halt Iran’s regional aggression and also its ongoing plans to arm itself with nuclear weapons. I call on European states, who talk about halting Iran, to join this move. It is time to stop talking. It is time for action. This is exactly what the United States has done and this is what Europe should do,” Israeli PM Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that “Trump and his allies in the Middle East have become isolated by their hostile policies towards Tehran,” while Iranian President Hassan Rouhani rejected any option of renegotiating an agreement – unless Washington changes its policy toward the Islamic Republic and immediate removes its sanctions. In a televised interview, President Rouhani responded to his American counterpart’s call for a meeting without preconditions, stressing that President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal is either about gaining domestic political advantage in the elections or waging psychological war against the Iranian people.”
“The first step would be (for U.S. President Donald Trump) to show that he genuinely wants to engage in negotiations to solve a problem. What’s the meaning of negotiations when you impose sanctions at the same time? It’s like someone pulling a knife to stab a rival or an enemy in the arm while at the same time claiming, ‘we should be talking and negotiating.’ The answer in such a case would be to say, ‘remove the knife from the arm and put the knife away.’ That person should come to the negotiating table and be logical about negotiating. So, I think the real purpose here (by the U.S. administration) is to engage in psychological warfare and to sow division among Iranians while at the same time gaining political capital for the upcoming congressional elections. So, Trump’s talk is either about gaining domestic political advantage in the elections or waging psychological war against the Iranian people,” Iranian President Rouhani said.