European states consult on Iran policy with Gulf nations during visit to region
Senior officials from France, Germany and the UK, known as the E3, visited GCC countries last week to discuss Iran before the inauguration of Joe Biden, whose policy towards Tehran is expected to differ significantly from that of Donald Trump, his predecessor as US president.
Iran repeatedly breached the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with six world powers to limit its nuclear ambitions and its relations with the US have deteriorated.
Iran first broke the deal in 2019 after Mr Trump withdrew the US from it in 2018 and renewed sanctions on Tehran.
The three European powers urged Iran to return to the 2015 accord, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but to no avail.
They have also called on Iran not to squander the chance of diplomacy with an incoming US administration that is more likely to engage with it than the Trump White House.
“[There were] good E3 consultations with our Saudi partners on how to deal with shared challenges in the region, including tackling Iran’s systematic non-compliance with its JCPOA nuclear commitments,” said Neil Crompton, the UK’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Mr Biden’s incoming administration signalled that it wants to return the US to the 2015 deal, which Tehran said it will do if sanctions are lifted.
A criticism from some was that the JCPOA was not strong enough, while others said the talks leading up to the deal failed to consistently involve GCC countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia in its formulation.
Dr Cinzia Bianco, a visiting fellow at Berlin think tank the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the visit of the E3 officials was motivated by a desire to take into account the concerns of some GCC countries to find a more sustainable solution to tensions with Iran, and to address the limitations of the JCPOA.
“The sense of this visit is to show that there is the willingness to engage the regional players in the debate and the plans for diplomacy with Iran,” she told The National.
No one wanted a military escalation in the region, especially given the economic and health issues stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, she said.
“Everyone is now in a position that it’s interesting to explore avenues for stability in a way that is sustainable,” Ms Bianco said.
A statement this month from E3 foreign ministers told Iran, after its latest breach of the deal, that it risked compromising the opportunity for diplomacy with the Biden administration.
The E3 nations find themselves in a delicate situation, often in the middle of highly contrasting views about how to deal with Iran.
“It is a difficult balancing act, but also there is a very consistent line that has been building up and establishing itself in Europe, which is very pragmatic and is also very results-oriented in a way that I think helps a lot to navigate the different pressures and the different positions,” Ms Bianco said.
Even in his last days in office, Mr Trump’s administration has refused to back down from its pressure campaign on Tehran and has instituted sanctions against numerous entities and persons linked to Iran.