With a new US policy on Iranian regime emerging and a string of attacks by Iran on its allies, Europe is distancing itself from the mullahs’ Regime.
Following the ballistic missile attack against Riyadh International Airport by the Iran-backed Houthis last weekend, British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson condemned the Houthis in a call to Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.
French President Emmanuel Macron also said that he believed Iran to be behind the attack on Saudi Arabia.
While US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley accused Iran of supplying the Houthi rebels with the missiles needed to attack Saudi Arabia in November and in July. She called on the UN to hold the Regime accountable.
Fears and Response
The Iranian Regime has long feared that Europe would move away from them, even going so far as to have Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei publically call on Europe to oppose the US following Donald Trump decertification of Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal in October.
While Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s High Representative, expressed that the nuclear pact would remain in place, she seems to be the Regime’s only ally. Many in the US Congress and the European Parliament have already spoken out about the problems in the nuclear deal and stated that is dangerous to international security.
In response to the backing off by European countries, Movahedi Kermani, a prominent prayer leader in Tehran described countries who side with the US as “enemies” of the Regime and the state-run Kayhan daily newspaper described Iran as “enchained” by the West.
Trade Deals
Before Trump’s decertification, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attempted to work a rift between Washington and Brussels to the Regime’s advantage in order to obtain economic deals, like France’s Total $4.8 billion deal with Iran.
While Europe has indeed done deals with Iran, following the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it would be ridiculous to think they would jeopardise their trading relationship with the US, even if they didn’t believe that Iran had been in breach of the deal.
Total is now refraining from signing any contracts with Iran until the US policy on Iran is finalised and has even opened a new office in the US, while BNP Paribas was given an $8.9 billion fine for its transactions with Iran.
Human rights activist Heshmat Alavi wrote on Forbes: “Iran must be brought to this comprehension that both sides of the Atlantic consider it the main element behind Middle East crisis. The West should unify in clipping Iran’s wings of terror, in particular targeting the Revolutionary Guards with terrorist designations.”
Source » ncr-iran