After Trump breaks with the Iran deal the EU must break with the US Iran policy

EGP Resolution adopted at the 28th EGP Council in Antwerp, 18-20 May 2018

European Greens firmly condemn the decision of the US government to withdraw unilaterally from the nuclear deal with Iran. The Nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) had been agreed between the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, Germany, and Iran 14 July 2015 after many years of complicated diplomatic negotiations in which the EU played a major role. The UN Security Council then endorsed the JCPOA on 20 July 2015. 

We consider the unilateral US decision to renounce this diplomatic achievement and to reinstate severe sanctions against Iran as well as against Iran’s trading partners and foreign investors in Iran is reckless in several respects. It is a major breach of multilateralism, a dangerous action that will greatly increase tensions and risks in the region, a confrontation with the United Nations, an action that undermines US credibility and trustfulness worldwide, weakens the ability of other parties to negotiate with Iran, places Iran in a stronger position to withdraw formally from the agreement or to disregard its provisions. It also destroys fragile goodwill that had been building between Iran and others who are or were party to the agreement, and a severe burden for US partners and allies. 

European Greens call upon the EU and in particular on the UK, France, and Germany, to resist President Trump’s Iran policy and to cooperate with Russia, China and Iran in common efforts to salvage the Iran deal. The European Greens are committed to a peaceful, nuclear-free world. We do hope that the EU and the E3 Countries will be capable of convincing the authorities in Iran to uphold the deal from their side.

Iran has been expecting that the deal would facilitate stronger trade and investment partnerships with the international community in order to overcome the present economic crisis in the country and to strengthen the country’s development. The new US mandated sanctions plus the secondary sanctions against those who would deal with Iran are bound to kill this perspective. The US administration’s re-imposition of economic sanctions on Iran can do nothing but harm the standard of living of the Iranian people. Jobs created in Iran or promised there in the wake of the agreement are now lost, and cost -of -living will increase. The EU should use all the instruments at its disposal to protect European companies against US sanctions. As many major companies that are strongly connected to the US market will probably prefer to relinquish their Iranian activities in order to protect their US interest, the EU should look for novel ways of promoting Iranian trade and investment as long as Iran honours the nuclear deal.

European Greens are convinced that a complete breakdown of the nuclear deal would result in a major destabilization of the region and directly or indirectly in a nuclear arms race between several competing powers. This implies a major threat to world peace in general, to the region in particular and also to European security.

While we recognise the need to defend the Iranian nuclear deal, this does not mean we condone the aggressive Iranian foreign policy which contributes to destabilizing the region, nor that Europe should remain silent on the violations of human rights in Iran, in particular the repression of political opponents and women. Equally we insist that human rights violations, the repression of political opponents, and, in particular, the repression of women and LGBT persons be addressed relentlessly from the EU side.

The JCPOA did not deal with all the contentious issues in our relations with Iran. It was not meant to. It focused on one very important dimension, which is the prevention of nuclear proliferation. It is unfair to criticize the JCPOA for not having resolved all the other contradictions at the same time. It is a fallacy on the part of the US administration and the Israeli government to believe it might be easier to deal with problems listed above after destroying the JCPOA. To the contrary, this step increases the risk of more military conflict and the risk of strengthening the most reactionary and authoritarian forces in Iran.

European Greens will continue to show solidarity with the people of Iran in their struggle for freedom and a fair future. European Greens will continue to support a diplomatic and multilateral approach to dealing with the conflicts in the region. European Greens support action from the EU to block US sanctions against Iran. European Greens will also continue to collaborate with the political opposition in the United States against President Trump’s fateful Iran policy.