Poland on Monday said that it opposes any European Union (EU) actions that would weaken U.S. sanctions against Iran, as the EU continues to look for ways to preserve the deal.
The comments by Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz came following a meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss ways of preserving the deal, reported The Associated Press.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the member states were intensely coordinating their efforts “to protect the economic investments of European businesses that have legitimately invested and engaged in Iran” over the past three years since the nuclear deal was agreed.
Czaputowicz said that if European companies operating in Iran were to suffer losses, a mechanism needed to be found to compensate them. He also said encouraging the continued operation of European companies in Iran could weaken U.S. sanctions, and this could become be a big problem.
He added that those “states that tie their security to United States security” shared views similar to Poland’s given their interest in preserving their trans-Atlantic relationship.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that he would pull out of the Iran deal and would reimpose sanctions on the Islamic Republic that were frozen as part of the agreement.
While Trump withdrew from the Iran deal and announced he would reimpose sanctions on Iran, the European Union did not follow suit, and said it would remain in the agreement and will do so “as long as Iran continues to implement its nuclear related commitments, as it is doing so far.”
Last week, the EU’s executive Commission announced that it will start revising a so-called blocking regulation that was drawn up in 1996 in response to the fallout from U.S. sanctions on Cuba, and on Libya and Iran.
The measure has never been used, but in essence it bans companies from respecting American sanctions where those sanctions might damage EU interests, notably trade and the movement of capital.
Czaputowicz’s remarks on Monday follow a report last week saying that Polish leaders are planning to defend the U.S. government’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal within the EU.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, according to the report, that Poland wants to be an “informal go-between” and to explain to EU members and U.S. officials the positions of the other.
Source » israelnationalnews