The British Prime Minister Theresa May, who has preferred not to comment on the nuclear accord with Iran in recent weeks, has suddenly become an active player in this equation! The announcement of the recent statement by the British PM's office on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) right after the apparent failure of Merkel and Macron in persuading Trump to remain as part of the nuclear deal, is subject to various considerations.
May had phone calls with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel where they agreed the deal may need to be broadened to cover other areas such as ballistic missiles, what happens when the deal expires, and Iran's regional activity, the statement said.
According to Reuters, "They committed to continue working closely together and with the US on how to tackle the range of challenges that Iran poses – including those issues that a new deal might cover," the statement said.
Decoding the British Government's Recent Position on the JCPOA
Those positions adopted by the British government are in fact nothing other than Donald Trump and John Bolton's demands on the nuclear deal with Iran. The recent statement by the British PM's office is the official acceptance of the White House's requests for changing the nuclear accord.
However, Theresa May would prefer to emphasize the role of London, Paris and Berlin in supporting the JCPOA, and in this way distract the attentions from focusing on the main message of her recent words, and European's agreement on changing the nuclear deal. In February, 2016, while only a few weeks has passed since Trump's presence at the White House, May Called the JCPOA a "controversial agreement" in her visit to the United States. In this way, she has indicated her willingness to accompany Trump's negative positions in opposition to the nuclear deal. It should be noted that England and France were the first European players who announced their commitment to change the JCPOA in their visits to Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
British Foreign Ministry's Controversial Statement
In April 2017, the British Foreign Ministry issued a controversial statement, which was ordered by Donald Trump and his companions at the White House. In this statement, the Article 29 of the JCPOA was effectively violated. The statement said that proper action had to be taken before entering any interactions with Iran! Iran is still a challenging place to engage in trade, so undetermined exporters should seek legal advice.
The statement was issued while the European troika, along with the United States, had been committed not to take any negative and preventing action in normalizing trade relations with Iran during the post-JCPOA period. In Article 29 of the agreement we read:
The EU and its Member States and the United States, consistent with their respective laws, will refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely affect the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran inconsistent with their commitments not to undermine the successful implementation of this JCPOA.
US Main Ally in Breaking the Deal
As it has been mentioned repeatedly, Britain and France are the main defendants of the nuclear agreement breach after the United States. Interestingly enough, Britain has ensured the President of the United States of its readiness to change the nuclear deal even before France. It is true that France was the first player to discuss the issue of resuming nuclear restrictions and limiting the missile power of our country last summer, but UK was the first European country to give the green light to the White House in response to Trump's demands. In its foreign policy, Britain continues to be a perfect follower of the United States and the White House. Therefore, the President of the United States has never been worried about the UK position.
Although Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, is trying to introduce herself as the main savior of the nuclear deal in her coming visit to the United States, but we shouldn't forget that believing this artificial game will end at the expense of "limiting Iran's missile power", "inspection of our military places", "limiting our regional power" and "putting permanent limit on Iran's nuclear program." Theresa May, along with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, are arranging pieces of a predetermined puzzle set by Europe and the United States. It should be noted that in this equation, there's no difference between the game of the White House and the European troika.
Without a doubt, during the coming days, and especially a few days before May 12, British authorities will try to put pressure on our country to accept the illegal demands of Europe and the US in the field of "formal diplomacy", "public diplomacy" and "hidden diplomacy." May is trying to put Iran at the dilemma of "accepting change" or "leaving the nuclear deal."
Unlike Washington, London prefers to take this action in the form of "diplomacy of smiles", thus preventing the disclosure of its complete synchronization with the United States and Trump government. It is now time for the Iranian Authorities to openly and unequivocally condemn and uncover the tricks of the British officials (and subsequently Germany and France) on the JCPOA, and make our nation aware about the nature of this purposeful and coordinated game. The only way to curb the game of UK and its allies in this regard is to insist on our policies and to avoid re-negotiating with the West on the JCPOA.
MNA/TT