Trump: Punish Iran or face tariffs

The Trump administration privately threatened Britain, France and Germany with a 25 per cent tariff on cars exported to the US unless they took action against Iran for defying its nuclear agreement, European officials have said.

The threat, which came days before the three nations activated the dispute clause in the 2015 nuclear deal, was seen as ‘‘extortion’’ by at least one official, according to The Washington Post. Another maintained, however, that Britain, France and

Germany were on track to punish Iran before the threat, suggesting that it was not decisive in their announcement on Wednesday.

Trump frequently threatens tariffs as a negotiating tactic in trade talks but has also started to use the prospect of potentially ruinous economic measures against allies to influence foreign policy.

Mexico sent troops to patrol its border with the US days after Trump threatened the country with 5 per cent tariffs last summer unless it took action to reduce illegal immigration.

The foreign ministers of the three European nations said that they acted because Iran had been gradually scaling back its pledges under the deal, known as the JCPOA, since May last year. ‘‘We have therefore been left with no choice, given Iran’s actions,’’ they said in a statement.

The ministers added that they triggered the dispute mechanism ‘‘with the overarching objective of preserving the JCPOA and in the sincere hope of finding a way forward’’.

While the move was portrayed by the Europeans as giving Iran the opportunity to return to compliance with restrictions on nuclear activity, if Iran fails to do so within 65 days then sanctions could be reimposed by the United Nations.

That would probably mean the end of the nuclear deal, a policy goal of the Trump administration, which wants a new agreement that includes penalties not only for nuclear ambitions but for Iran’s role in funding terrorist groups and developing missiles.

Trump, 73, is no stranger to making tough threats to Europe. Early in his presidency he appeared to flirt with withdrawal from Nato as he pressured European members to contribute more to defence budgets.

He told the EU last year that he was considering tariffs on imported cars of up to 25 per cent under a US law allowing him to tax specific imports if the Department of Commerce deemed them a national security threat. His sixmonth deadline to act passed in November.

The EU wants to save the nuclear deal. Josep Borrell, 72, its diplomatic chief, said on Tuesday that it was ‘‘more important than ever’’, adding: ‘‘Imagine for a second what would be the situation today had Iran nuclear weapons – and they would have been able to obtain those without JCPOA.’’

The White House and No 10 did not respond to a request for comment. – The Times