Europeans Propose New Sanctions:
Europe’s Dance to U.S. Tune on Iran
TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Any new European sanctions against Iran will have a direct effect on the nuclear deal struck between world powers and Tehran, Iran’s deputy foreign minister has said.
"In case some European countries are following steps to put non-nuclear sanctions against Iran in order to please the American president, they will be making a big mistake and they will see the direct result of that on the nuclear deal,” Abbas Araqchi said.
His remarks came after Reuters said Britain, France and Germany had proposed fresh EU sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles and its role in Syria in a bid to persuade Washington to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
The news agency said it had seen a joint paper sent to European Union capitals on Friday to sound out support for such sanctions as they would need the support of all 28 EU member governments.
"The proposal is part of an EU strategy to save the accord signed by world powers,” it said.
Trump delivered an ultimatum to the European signatories on Jan. 12. It said they must agree to "fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal” - which was sealed under his predecessor Barack Obama - or he would refuse to extend U.S. sanctions relief on Iran. U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues fresh "waivers” to suspend them on May 12.
"We will therefore be circulating in the coming days a list of persons and entities that we believe should be targeted in view of their publicly demonstrated roles,” the document said, referring to Iranian ballistic missile tests and Tehran’s role in backing Syria’s government in the seven-year-old war on terrorists.
The steps would go beyond what a U.S. State Department cable seen by Reuters last month outlined as a path to satisfy Trump: simply committing to improving the nuclear deal, the news agency said.
European Union foreign ministers will discuss the proposal at a closed-door meeting on Monday in Brussels, Reuters quoted unnamed diplomats as saying.
Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif on Friday said, "If the United States makes the mistake of pulling out of the JCPOA, it will definitely be a painful mistake for the Americans.”
Zarif did not refer to the possibility of new EU sanctions.
The commission overseeing the nuclear accord said on Friday in Vienna that Iran was meeting its obligations under the deal.
The joint document by Britain, France and Germany said they were engaged in "intensive talks with the Trump administration to "achieve a clear and lasting reaffirmation of U.S. support for the (nuclear) agreement beyond May 12”.
The proposal follows weeks of talks between the State Department and European powers as they try to mollify the Trump administration, which is split between those who want to tear up the agreement and those who wish to preserve it.
The document referred to sanctions that would "target militias and commanders”. It proposes building on the EU’s existing sanctions list related to Syria, which includes travel bans and asset freezes on individuals, and a ban on doing business or financing public and private companies.
It was strident in its criticism of Iran’s ballistic missiles, which Tehran says are for defensive purposes, saying there were "transfers of Iranian missiles and missile technology” to Syria and allies of Tehran.
"Such a proliferation of Iranian missile capabilities throughout the region is an additional and serious source of concern,” the document said.
The U.S. government said it was seeking a "supplemental” accord with European powers but Iran’s top security official said on Saturday the country will not accept any changes to its nuclear deal with world powers.
"We will not accept any changes, any interpretation, or new measure aimed at limiting” the 2015 deal between Iran and major powers, said Ali Shamkhani, in remarks carried by the ISNA news agency.
Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, also warned European countries "against the temptation of playing at the same game as the Americans”.
"The ballistic program of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has a defensive nature, will steadfastly continue,” said Shamkhani.
On Friday senior U.S. State Department official Brian Hook said that President Donald Trump wanted to reach a "supplemental” deal with the European signatories to the Iran nuclear deal.
This would cover Iran’s ballistic missile program, its regional activities, the expiration of parts of the nuclear deal in the mid-2020s, and tighter UN inspections, Hook said.
"We are taking things one week at a time, we are having very good discussions in London, Paris, and Berlin,” Hook, recently ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s chief of strategy, said.
"There is a lot we agree on and where we disagree we are working to bridge our differences,” he said in Vienna.
Trump’s decision this week to replace Tillerson with Mike Pompeo as secretary of state has been widely seen as another bad omen for the agreement. Tillerson and his erstwhile cabinet ally Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had urged Trump to listen to the Europeans to preserve the agreement. Pompeo, head of the Central Intelligence Agency, is seen as taking a harder line on Iran.
Araqchi said, "It’s better that European countries continue their current action to persuade America to keep its promises in the nuclear deal and for that country to effectively execute the deal in all its parts with good will and in a productive atmosphere.”
If America pulls out of the agreement then the nuclear deal will be finished, Araqchi said, according to a report published by the Mehr News agency on Saturday.
"If America exits the deal and unilateral sanctions return, we will definitely not continue the deal because it will not serve our interests,” Araqchi was quoted as saying.
"In case some European countries are following steps to put non-nuclear sanctions against Iran in order to please the American president, they will be making a big mistake and they will see the direct result of that on the nuclear deal,” Abbas Araqchi said.
His remarks came after Reuters said Britain, France and Germany had proposed fresh EU sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles and its role in Syria in a bid to persuade Washington to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
The news agency said it had seen a joint paper sent to European Union capitals on Friday to sound out support for such sanctions as they would need the support of all 28 EU member governments.
"The proposal is part of an EU strategy to save the accord signed by world powers,” it said.
Trump delivered an ultimatum to the European signatories on Jan. 12. It said they must agree to "fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal” - which was sealed under his predecessor Barack Obama - or he would refuse to extend U.S. sanctions relief on Iran. U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues fresh "waivers” to suspend them on May 12.
"We will therefore be circulating in the coming days a list of persons and entities that we believe should be targeted in view of their publicly demonstrated roles,” the document said, referring to Iranian ballistic missile tests and Tehran’s role in backing Syria’s government in the seven-year-old war on terrorists.
The steps would go beyond what a U.S. State Department cable seen by Reuters last month outlined as a path to satisfy Trump: simply committing to improving the nuclear deal, the news agency said.
European Union foreign ministers will discuss the proposal at a closed-door meeting on Monday in Brussels, Reuters quoted unnamed diplomats as saying.
Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif on Friday said, "If the United States makes the mistake of pulling out of the JCPOA, it will definitely be a painful mistake for the Americans.”
Zarif did not refer to the possibility of new EU sanctions.
The commission overseeing the nuclear accord said on Friday in Vienna that Iran was meeting its obligations under the deal.
The joint document by Britain, France and Germany said they were engaged in "intensive talks with the Trump administration to "achieve a clear and lasting reaffirmation of U.S. support for the (nuclear) agreement beyond May 12”.
The proposal follows weeks of talks between the State Department and European powers as they try to mollify the Trump administration, which is split between those who want to tear up the agreement and those who wish to preserve it.
The document referred to sanctions that would "target militias and commanders”. It proposes building on the EU’s existing sanctions list related to Syria, which includes travel bans and asset freezes on individuals, and a ban on doing business or financing public and private companies.
It was strident in its criticism of Iran’s ballistic missiles, which Tehran says are for defensive purposes, saying there were "transfers of Iranian missiles and missile technology” to Syria and allies of Tehran.
"Such a proliferation of Iranian missile capabilities throughout the region is an additional and serious source of concern,” the document said.
The U.S. government said it was seeking a "supplemental” accord with European powers but Iran’s top security official said on Saturday the country will not accept any changes to its nuclear deal with world powers.
"We will not accept any changes, any interpretation, or new measure aimed at limiting” the 2015 deal between Iran and major powers, said Ali Shamkhani, in remarks carried by the ISNA news agency.
Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, also warned European countries "against the temptation of playing at the same game as the Americans”.
"The ballistic program of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has a defensive nature, will steadfastly continue,” said Shamkhani.
On Friday senior U.S. State Department official Brian Hook said that President Donald Trump wanted to reach a "supplemental” deal with the European signatories to the Iran nuclear deal.
This would cover Iran’s ballistic missile program, its regional activities, the expiration of parts of the nuclear deal in the mid-2020s, and tighter UN inspections, Hook said.
"We are taking things one week at a time, we are having very good discussions in London, Paris, and Berlin,” Hook, recently ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s chief of strategy, said.
"There is a lot we agree on and where we disagree we are working to bridge our differences,” he said in Vienna.
Trump’s decision this week to replace Tillerson with Mike Pompeo as secretary of state has been widely seen as another bad omen for the agreement. Tillerson and his erstwhile cabinet ally Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had urged Trump to listen to the Europeans to preserve the agreement. Pompeo, head of the Central Intelligence Agency, is seen as taking a harder line on Iran.
Araqchi said, "It’s better that European countries continue their current action to persuade America to keep its promises in the nuclear deal and for that country to effectively execute the deal in all its parts with good will and in a productive atmosphere.”
If America pulls out of the agreement then the nuclear deal will be finished, Araqchi said, according to a report published by the Mehr News agency on Saturday.
"If America exits the deal and unilateral sanctions return, we will definitely not continue the deal because it will not serve our interests,” Araqchi was quoted as saying.