Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged the European Union to take practical measures to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic, that following the U.S. withdrawal from the multinational agreement. In an interview the Iranian top diplomat gave to the Iranian state-owned Press TV, Zarif stressed that the Europeans must take the cost on themselves to assure the preservation of the nuclear deal – as the EU has only advanced political measures, which were not enough to guarantee practical actions by European businesses. “We have taken a comprehensive approach to Iran, because the scope of Iranian malign activity is so wide-ranging: from its aspirations of nuclear weapons, its support for terrorism, its cyber activity, its proliferation of ballistic missiles, and much more. The Iran regime has been a force for instability and violence. Our new strategy addresses all manifestations of the Iranian threat, and the new Iran Action Group will be focused on implementing that strategy,” Special U.S. Representative for Iran Brian Hook said.
It is important to note that while EU Foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini has pursued active measures to counter the U.S. sanctions, her hawkish stance is slowly beginning to affect her standing among member states of the European Union. A senior EU source told TV7 that her hawkish position in favor of Iran, at the expense of the United States, is not received well among the major powers within the European Union. The official explained that while EU member states did not agree with the American approach, the course of action taken by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy was bordering an “irresponsible course of action.” That said, the official noted that Federica Mogherini’s term will end next year, which slowly deteriorates her standing among EU member states.