Europe splits with Trump on Iran to lift President Rouhani before vote
TEHRAN — Before the platters of roast lamb and fragrant rice were served, visiting executives squeezed into the front room of the Swedish ambassador’s home in Tehran to applaud ambitious plans to restore Iran as a top trade partner.
The men and women representing companies including AstraZeneca Plc and truckmaker Scania AB had flown in with Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, who was making the first official visit to Iran by a Swedish premier since a mediation effort during the 1980s war with Iraq. The 75-member delegation was intent on doing business, but the politics was inescapable: as the US under Donald Trump steps away from Iran, Europe’s moving forward, unwilling to throw away years of tortuous diplomacy.
“Before sanctions, Iran was the biggest export market for Sweden in the Middle East,” Trade Minister Ann Linde said at the Feb. 11 event attended by Iranian businessmen and ministers. “We hope it will be again.”
European leaders are emerging as strong backers of the 2015 six- nation nuclear deal with Iran, derided by Mr. Trump as one of history’s dumbest. They want their companies to prosper in a largely untapped market of 80 million people, but there’s a deeper motive — to bolster the moderate politicians led by President Hassan Rouhani seen as the best bet for an Iran that’s freer at home and more willing to cooperate in defusing Mideast flashpoints. Russia, another signatory to the agreement, is a key ally of Iran.
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“The Europeans want an administration in Iran that will stick to the deal and pursue a moderate engagement with Europe that has begun already,” Ellie Geranmayeh, policy fellow for the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council for Foreign Relations, said by phone. For a start, Mr. Rouhani, who broke Iran out of its isolation in 2013, faces a likely reelection fight in May with hardline opponents who are suspicious of closer ties with the West.
The Swedish trade delegation was sandwiched between a high- level French political and commercial visit, led by Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, and a Feb. 12 automobiles conference attended by senior executives from Peugeot, Citroen, Renault and Hyundai.
“I’ve been to Iran 25 times in less than two years,” JeanChristophe Quemard, Peugeot’s executive vice-president for the Middle East and Africa, told reporters when asked if his latest trip was in any way motivated by Mr. Trump’s policies. “What does this mean? Times have changed. You need to get used to seeing our faces in Tehran.” — Bloomberg