Commentary: Mogherini and Her EU Friends Are Behind The Times

June 02, 2018
By Fred Saberi

What are the European Left (PEL) and the supporters of the Islamic Republic up to these days? They are battling those who advocate regime change in Iran. They, however, offer weak arguments in support of their position, such as the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal.

They know quite well that the JCPOA couldn’t entirely be implemented even while former President Barack Obama was still in office. The world saw how the Iranian regime escalated its regional activities after the signing of the nuclear deal. In all likelihood, any other president in Trump’s position would have also withdrawn from the agreement.

The Islamic Republic should have at least suspected that the JCPOA would not last long given that it encountered stiff opposition from many senior U.S. politicians and that it was signed in the last two years of President Obama’s second term in office. In other words, the regime didn’t realize that Obama had sold them a disposable lighter…

It is also entirely conceivable that Obama didn’t expect the JCPOA to last more than two years. So Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should not have been surprised by the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. Mr. Khamenei must have suspected that the JCPOA would have a short lifespan, but to be fair, at the time he would have probably signed any document that would have prolonged the life of the regime.

The situation has, however, changed drastically. The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has set 12 strong demands as preconditions to any possible future deal with Iran. Tehran must either comply with every single item on Mr. Pompeo’s list or face the military might of the U.S. and its allies. Pompeo is not concerned about Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA or the UN nuclear watchdog’s report. He is flexing the U.S. political, economic and military muscle. The regime must either accept the new U.S. order or witness the demise of the Islamic Republic. 

Meanwhile, Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the PEL are trying to obstruct the U.S. efforts to tighten the economic noose around the Iranian regime’s neck. The signatories to the JCPOA, except the U.S., are seemingly unaware that they cannot buy more time for the Iranian regime. The time for appeasement is over. The Islamic Republic must go.

In truth, the death of the JCPOA signals the impending demise of the Islamic Republic which will open a new chapter in the geopolitical life of the Middle East.

Some Scandinavian countries have, however, broken ranks with their EU partners over Iran. Sweden and Finland recently signed rather substantial defense agreements with the U.S. Sweden has also signed a separate defense agreement with Denmark, a member of NATO. These countries have sided with the U.S. The Islamic Republic will not, therefore, be able to establish trade relations with the Scandinavian countries.

Europe cannot stand up to the U.S. The Islamic Republic will soon be left on the ash heap of history. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mogherini and her friends continue to pursue their old and archaic Cold War tactics.