MP: US seeks to scare Europe into joining its anti-iran campaign
By Sadeq Dehqan & Farzam Vanaki
The US seeks to scare European states and other countries into joining his campaign of putting pressure on Iran and its allies, by uttering threats, offering financial and economic incentives and even using military tools, said an Iranian MP.
The US uses its military tools not only to intimidate weaker countries, but also to deal with European states, Vali Maleki, the spokesman of the Iranian Parliament’s Industries and Mines Committee, told Iran Daily commenting on Washington’s abrupt behavior toward Europeans over the issue of its military withdrawal from Syria.
Following Washington’s withdrawal of its military forces from Syria, the US called on its European allies to fill the vacuum in the Arab state with their own troops. Europeans, however, turned down the Trump administration’s request.
He noted that by using its military might in its relations with other countries, the US seeks to champion its own interests and show that it has been successful in achieving its goals.
The MP said by putting countries under such pressures, the White House seeks to financially exploit the region’s reactionary countries on the one hand, and appease Israel and the rulers of the Persian Gulf littoral states, on the other.
Describing Trump as a tradesman whose behavior perfectly reflects his utilitarianism, he added the US president has adopted this behavior to preserve his electoral base and appease them, resolve the economic issues and problems Washington is currently facing and show off his abilities to the Democrat Party, which recently posed obstacles to his national emergency.
Commenting on the promises Trump made in his stump speeches during his presidential election campaign, Maleki said since US media and people expects him to fulfill these promises, he seeks to keep them by hook or by crook and, thus, spares no effort to that end.
The Iranian lawmaker noted that during his presidential campaign, Trump vowed to pull the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — signed between Iran and P5+1 in July 2015 — and he did that in May.
Last May, Trump pulled the US out of JCPOA and reimposed Washington’s unilateral sanctions on Iran in two phases.
“He seeks to fulfill every single one of his pledges one after another. This comes as the Zionist lobby in the US also puts him under pressure to implement certain decisions.”
Turning to relations between Iran and Europe in the aftermath of US withdrawal from the JCPOA, he said in case Europe acts more decisively in its trade and economic relations with Tehran, the US will fail to achieve the goals it pursues by imposing sanctions on Iran.
“That is why the US seeks to prevent this in one way or another.”
Commenting on Europe’s future behavior towards Iran, he said, “Europeans and other countries always prioritize their interests over those of others. As we know European states have more transactions with the US than Iran and see their national interests guaranteed in closer relations with Washington.”
Nevertheless, what still keeps Europe in the deal is that they do not want to damage their international prestige as unjustified and unconventional withdrawal from international treaties is not what they approve of, he said.
This comes as, in addition, European countries seek to prove to the US that they are major world powers whose decisions are not impacted by Washington’s policies and demands, Maleki noted.
“The fact that Europeans have not yet withdrawn from the JCPOA does not imply that they have faithfully abided by the terms of the deal. They have halted their transactions with Iran and refrain from engaging in trade with us.”
Commenting on Europe’s new payment channel – known as the Instrument In Support Of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) – for non-dollar trade with Iran to avert US sanctions, the MP said, the mechanism pertains to monetary and trade transactions between Iran and those European firms in which Americans are not shareholders.
On January 31, France, Germany and the UK announced the registration, in France, of INSTEX. He added the mechanism can be helpful to Iran to some extent. “However, the US and its allies are not merely observing these events; they pursue issues pertaining to Iran and constantly seek to find a pretext to intensify pressure on Tehran.”