Europe and the Special Trade Mechanism with Iran; 'No Concrete Actions Have Been Taken'

Six months after the United States withdrew from the JCPOA and one month after the full return of U.S. sanctions against Iran, European parties to the nuclear agreement are still trying to ensure that Tehran can benefit from the JCPOA. However, as informed European sources told Radio Farda, no 'concrete' actions have been taken in this regard yet. On Monday, several senior diplomats told the Wall Street Journal that Europe's efforts to save the JCPOA and allow Iran to benefit from this agreement revolve around France and Germany. After reports emerged about Austria and Luxembourg's opposition to hosting the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), according to what these unnamed diplomats said, one of the two countries, Germany or France, will host it, and one of these two countries will choose a head for this office, with these countries also providing the necessary funding. In this context, an unnamed European source told Radio Farda, 'The SPV was from the beginning a game of France and Germany. They initiated this, and for us and the majority, it was not a problem, but ultimately we hoped they would find a solution that everyone could participate in.' This European source also stated that 'currently there is nothing that can be positively or negatively responded to, and everything is at a very theoretical and conceptual level.' Since the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, France has made significant efforts to maintain this agreement, and officials from this country have repeatedly stated that they want to preserve the JCPOA and use it as a basis to negotiate with Tehran on other concerns they have with the United States. Another unnamed European source told Radio Farda, 'All questions and answers are currently in Paris.' According to this informed source, the effort is to somehow incorporate the SPV into European laws, which 'will be a difficult task.' This source also expressed doubt about the implementation of such a mechanism. The third European country involved with Iran in the JCPOA is Britain, which is currently engaged in its exit from the European Union and negotiations in this regard. The Wall Street Journal states that London is examining how to join the efforts of France and Germany. However, the European Union consists of 28 countries, and as previously reported, some of its members, especially in Eastern Europe due to their relations with Washington, are not necessarily in favor of the efforts of Western countries and will not align with them. U.S. officials have criticized such actions since Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, announced efforts to facilitate transactions with Iran in New York. They emphasized that any action violating Washington's sanctions would be met with a firm response. At the same time, U.S. officials insist that such actions will be negligible compared to the pressure of sanctions on Iran's economy and will not help this economy.