Top European diplomats were meeting with the US representatives to discuss the increasing tensions between the US and Iran over the abandoned nuclear deal. The tensions have escalated after the recent downing of a US drone by Iran’s military followed by US President Donald Trump’s order of retaliatory air strikes. While the air strikes were canceled at the last minute, US administration commenced a cyber-attack on Iran’s missile launching systems. In the meantime, Europe has called for reconciliation, aiming to convince Trump to re-open negotiations.
In response to the situation, six European countries released a joint statement spelling out the importance of the preservation of the Iran nuclear deal. According to the statement, the deal is regarded as fundamental to regional and international peace and security, a major achievement in nuclear non-proliferation and of diplomacy. Furthermore, the joint statement regrets the US withdrawal from the deal. However, President Trump has not changed his mind for the time being. “They have a country that is in economic distress, they can solve it quickly or they can solve it in ten years. In the meantime, there are very strong sanctions and they have to live with these sanctions,” commented Trump.
In the meantime, Russia is ready to help Iran counter US sanctions which may further complicate the international conflict. “Iran has been and remains our ally and partner. We consistently develop our relations, both bilateral and multilateral, which means any attempt to portray Iran as the main threat to regional security is unacceptable to us,” said Nikolai Patrushev from the Russian National Security Council.
