"EU member states are cooperating with some other Non-EU states to make sure Iranians can benefit from the economic relations", said Mogherini as the EU member states foreign ministers gathered in Vienna to discuss a series of important issues.
"Our work continues to preserve the nuclear deal," she said."
The reason for Mogherini's satisfaction with the current situation is clear! The imbalance between "Iran's commitments" and "Western reciprocal obligations" regarding the JCPOA is so evident that even American and European officials have acknowledged it. At the moment, it is only Iran that fulfills its obligations. Speaking about the other side, they have not only violated "all" their obligations, but also refused to take any practical steps to preserve the nuclear deal.
Here we're specifically speaking about the "European Union"! Immediately after Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the European troika has announced that the German, French and British officials will hold negotiations to offer a package of proposals to Tehran (for preserving the JCPOA). But within a few weeks, Europeans' "Negotiations with Tehran" turned to be "making deals with Americans"! The reason for European official's double-sided measures should be sought in the talks held between the US Secretary of State and the foreign ministers of the three countries of Germany, Britain and France.
The truth is that the European troika did nothing to maintain the nuclear deal, and based on the advice of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, the United States National Security Advisor, they had intentionally postpone their so-called package of proposals to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The EU-US anti-Iran puzzle is about to be completed while Iran remains committed to fulfilling its obligations according to the JCPOA. Under such circumstances, the pleasure of Mogherini and other European officials with the continuation of Iran's unilateral commitment to the nuclear deal is quite understandable!
During Obama's presidency, a new measure was passed by the US Congress. Accordingly, visa-free travel to the United States was prevented for people who have visited Iran or hold Iranian nationality. At that time, the Iranian foreign minister complained about this law, and emphasized that "If the Congress law is implemented as it is, it would definitely be a breach (of JCPOA)”. But instead of supporting Iran, Mogherini stood against our country's rational complaint, and stated that this act by American authorities isn't going to be a breach of the nuclear deal.
However, the betrayals of High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy doesn't end there. In the final round of the Vienna nuclear talks, Mogherini was well aware of Iran's Foreign Minister and US Secretary of State's verbal agreement over the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA). However, when ILSA was renewed with the signature of 98 Democrat and Republican senators, Mogherini once again appeared as the White House defending lawyer and closed her eyes on Iran's protest against the US lack of commitment.
Moreover, when the US Treasury Department officially prevented the JCPOA to be actualized, and prevented the normalization of banking and credit relations between our country and other international players, Mogherini, along with the leaders of the three countries of Germany, Britain and France, showed support for this trend, and together they became part of the economic plan which American authorities designed against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Afterwards and during Trump's time, Mogherini's support for the US repeated violations continued as before.
Then the president of the United States came with the idea of "Changing the JCPOA" (in the four fields of inspection of Iranian military sites, the removal of the so-called sunset clauses, limiting Iran's regional power and the inclusion of Iran's missile capability in the JCPOA). This time again, Mogherini chose to ignore her most important obligation regarding the JCPOA, which was "defending the content of the nuclear deal", and along with Macron, Merkel and Theresa May, became part of Trump's game against Iran.
We are now in 2018. The president of the United States has formally pulled out of the nuclear deal with Iran, and the JCPOA has actually come to an end. However, Mogherini and other European officials continue to refuse of fulfilling their obligations under the nuclear deal.
What is certain is that EU leaders' tricky game regarding the JCPOA has left us no reason to trust them. It will rather make us to "cut off all the hope" of the United Europe on this path. The recent statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, who said we shouldn't rely on European support amid renewed US sanctions, are also to be analyzed in the same vein.
Definitely, the praise and satisfaction of Europeans for Iran's keeping to its nuclear obligations is not a good news for us, but a kind of humiliation of our diplomacy system by Mogherini and other European officials. It is time now for our officials to properly answer the European authorities. Undoubtedly, in the near future, we will no longer see the smile of those like Mogherini for Iran's unilateral commitment to the nuclear deal.
Mohammad Ghaderi - Twitter: @ghaderi62 - Email: m.ghaderi62@gmail.com
MNA/TT