generalspeaking

In The Ring: European Union vs United States

"The primary objective of the European Union is to provide a face-saving way for Iran to stay [in the nuclear deal]. The Europeans are trying with Russia and China to create an economic package for Iran."
"But if the deal collapses altogether, you can bet Iran will expand its nuclear program."
"[The Europeans are trying to convince Tehran the nuclear pact is more than an economic agreement] but has important political and security dimensions for Iran, and so far Iran is listening."
Ellie Geranmayeh, European Council on Foreign Relations

AP Photo / IRANIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY

"[The Trump administration appears to be leading toward a Middle East conflict, with its National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo] cherry-picking intelligence and inflating threats."
"They're making specious connections between Iran and terrorists, including Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. And they're ratcheting up their rhetoric."
Joseph Cirincione, nuclear expert, president, Ploughshares Fund

Iran is building a missile factory in Syria (Image: GettyImages)

Fascinating, that sentiment of Mr. Cirincione's, a nuclear expert who holds no brief for the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear-weapons aspirations, as though those agreement-defying, technologically advanced ballistic missiles really don't need a nuclear warhead to satisfy Iran's ambitions to be feared throughout the Middle East and eventually far further abroad. Iran, according to this man is being picked on unfairly; in his opinion definitely not aspiring to nuclear weapons, and certainly no sponsor of Islamist terrorism.

The European Union may find his message reassuring to a degree. After all, Europe is not in very direct threat of a strike from Iran and they're buying time by persuading Iran to defer their ambitions and who knows as time passes, Iranians may succeed in another revolution to free themselves from the murderous Ayatollahs, and restore to themselves a government dedicated to humanity not to a vision of a returning mullah from the dead whose appearance will herald the Apocalypse. Iran is merely attempting to ratchet up the time-line so all its faithful can finally ascend to join Mohammad.

Europe has been busy, it takes a lot of attention, time, planning and subterfuge to covertly undermine the U.S. administration's intention to further sideline and penalize, isolate and financially strain the Islamic Republic to continue draining its resources, depleting its internal funding of needed public infrastructure in the finer interests of funding Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, to finally convince the Iranian population that a wholesale upheaval of the current Ayatollahs' and Republican Guard Corps' hold on control will lead to their existential salvation.
European intervenors strive to convince their Iranian contact authorities that it is in their best interests to remain within the nuclear agreement, to wait out the administration of Donald Trump, to anticipate that Europe will somehow negotiate avoidance of the strictures being placed on Iranian assets and oil sales with incoming increased U.S. sanctions. Above all, to look to avoiding triggering a conflict with its combined nemesis, the Great and the Little Satans. Speaking of Israel's existential defence reaction as an "excuse" to attack Iran.

As though tensions between the United States and the European Union are now insufficiently strained; as though suspicion and vigilance between the United States and Iranian intentions are not for now and the foreseeable future beyond redemption. There are consequences to the provocations that Iran's arrogance in refining ballistic missile reach and capacity alongside viral threats to the existence of Israel, let alone its permanent installation of its surrogate militia Hezbollah on the Golan Heights and its Shiite militias in Syria.

In this photo released on Oct. 1, 2018, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, a missile is fired from city of Kermanshah in western Iran targeting the Islamic State group in Syria. (Sepahnews via AP)

From November 4 forward, Iranian oil and petrochemical products will find disposal and dispersal, sales and income formidably interrupted. Foreign financial institutions will be sanctioned for any transactions they may undertake with the central bank of Iran. The "special purpose vehicles" planned to permit payments "to assist and reassure economic operators pursuing legitimate business with Iran" in paying for Iranian exports and imports will not escape American notice.

Labels: European Union, Islamic Republic of Iran, Nuclear Agreement, Sanctions, United States

posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, October 23, 2018