The US government has announced the re-imposition of all sanctions against Iran
which had been cancelled within the framework of the nuclear deal known as the
JCPOA. Donald Trump’s administration officially announced that all sanctions
that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal are re-instated. Meanwhile, the
US Treasury Department announced that 700 individuals and entities would be
included in the blacklist.
The United States however granted waivers to temporarily allow eight nations to
continue importing the Iranian oil after it re-imposed sanctions on Tehran,
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday.
Now, the question is that what would happen to relations between Tehran and
Washington with the return of US sanctions? Would Iran be forced to negotiate
with the United States after these sanctions? Or Iran will continue its
interaction with the remaining parties of the nuclear deal until the Trump’s
term ends?
Khabar Online has conducted an interview with political analyst Vahid Gharavi in
this regard. What follows are excerpts of his answers:
The history of Iran-US relations over the past forty years has been full of
tension and hostility. In the current situation, especially since the beginning
of Trump’s term, and Iran’s emergence as a regional power, new dimensions of
such hostility have unfolded. Meanwhile, Washington’s withdrawal from the
nuclear deal has increased this hostility.
Iran’s successes in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and, to some extent in Yemen, and the
withdrawal of Takfiri terrorist groups, which were supported by Washington and
the regional reactionaries, next to the defeat of the Saudi government’s wicked
policies in this sensitive area, pushed Riyadh closer to the US. As a result,
the anti-Iran policies of Americans took a new form. In fact, the pressures of
the Trump administration on Iran and the intensification of sanctions,
especially in the oil and gas areas, are now mainly ordered by Saudis and
Israelis.
The re-imposition of US sanctions was put on the agenda as of May 2018. One can
say there is nothing left to be implemented as of November 4. These days we are
hearing that some giant western and even non-Western companies including Chinese
oil firms are not willing to cooperate with Iran. Chinese macroeconomic benefits
in trade with the United States have even led to a significant reduction in
non-oil exports to China, and some Chinese banks have ended their banking
cooperation with Iranian parties.
Of course, considering the need for fuel market in winter and the problem of oil
price growth, it is not possible to cut down Iran’s oil exports to zero.
As Tehran is dealing softly with the US plan to paralyze the country’s economy,
it seriously pursues diplomatic efforts to keep Europeans committed to the
nuclear deal.
Over the past few weeks, there have been numerous consultations between the
Iranian experts and EU officials in Vienna and Brussels to ensure they fulfill
their promises.
Iran-US Row Big Test of Independence for Europe
Undoubtedly, the fulfilment of the European leaders’ promises would encourage
Iran to stay in the nuclear deal, and it is very important for the EU. In fact,
it is a test of independence for Europe as a powerful political-economic bloc
against America’s Trump. This comes as the US president has not only withdrawn
from the JCPOA, but also has broken his promises to his long-standing partners
in Europe, and, in addition to leaving the Paris Agreement, he has imposed
unusual tariffs on European goods to make the split deeper.
Iran No "Saviour” for Iran
According to Iran’s Central Bank governor, during the recent negotiations in
Brussels, the financial channel proposed by Europe has been discussed in detail
by the parties. Accordingly, the desired financial channel will work to
facilitate and remove barriers to monetary exchanges between Iranian and
European exporters. Iran’s potentialities and experiences throughout the past
years have shown that we are not in a such a grave situation to be saved by
Europeans [as mentioned in Khabar Online’s question] because they need to
maintain their ties with Iran as well. Iran has never counted on Europe as a
"saviour”. Iran relies on its domestic capacities to counter the effect of
sanctions.
Naturally, Iran’s potentialities in various fields, of course, along with a
clever diplomatic strategy, should resolve the problem of financial exchange
between Iran and the European parties. China and Russia are also committed to be
loyal to the JCPOA. China and Russia have agreed to satisfy Iran by fulfiling
their commitments, especially the political ones. They are trying to fulfil all
of their commitments.
One of the ways for the EU to comply with their obligations is, of course, to
form a financial channel, which the central bank governor has called a "monetary
treaty.” Certainly, finalising and launching this channel could facilitate the
process of payment for Iran. This comes as according to a statement by the
Foreign Ministers of the JCPOA parties, this mechanism should not be restricted
to Europe in the medium and long term because other Iranian economic partners
must enjoy its benefits.
US to Moderate Mideast Policies after Khashoggi Case
Political developments after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul and its
repercussions for the Saudi government, and to some extent for Trump as a
supporter of Saudis and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, makes me feel that US
regional policies would be moderated. It is likely that the anti-Iran project
developed by Saudi Crown Prince and Israelis to put excessive pressure on Tehran
will be somehow weakened. However, the unpredictable behaviour of Trump could
lead to other plots against Iran.
If we pay attention to the remarks made by US Congressmen and some powerful
senators, we can understand that there exists a tendency in the US governing
body to criticise Trump’s foreign policies in the Middle East; especially the
anti-Iran policies that to a great extent are dictated by Saudis.
Source:IFP