Pence Reiterates His Demand from Europe: Abandon the JCPOA

Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, once again accused Iran of 'supporting terrorism worldwide' and urged European countries to stop 'undermining U.S. sanctions against Iran.' Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, he emphasized, 'It is time for our European partners to stand with America alongside the people of Iran.' According to Pence, the time has come for Europe to withdraw from the JCPOA and join the U.S. in applying maximum pressure on Iran. Just last Thursday, Pence had asked the European Union to exit the nuclear agreement with Iran, the JCPOA. However, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, and Heiko Maas, Germany's foreign minister, emphasized the day after Pence's remarks that Europe remains committed to the nuclear deal with Iran. Before traveling to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, Pence visited the Auschwitz camp in Poland. In his remarks, he accused Iran of 'anti-Semitism' and stated, 'The Islamic Republic, by opposing Israel, seeks to establish a new Holocaust.' Pence referred to comments made by Major General Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the IRGC, who recently stated, 'Our strategy is to erase Israel from the political geography of the world,' saying, 'These remarks are simple signs for me that we must resist and stand against Iran.' In the same context, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in her speech at the Munich Security Conference, described the common goal of Europe and the U.S. as 'containing Iran's destructive role,' but emphasized that 'maintaining the JCPOA helps achieve this goal.' Merkel also criticized Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria as 'hasty' and warned that implementing this decision could strengthen Russia and Iran's role in the Middle East and expand their influence in the region. Merkel further warned about the potential withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, stating that NATO's operations in Afghanistan depend on U.S. commitments. About two months ago, Trump announced that ISIS had been defeated in Syria and that the fight against the remnants of this group was the responsibility of regional countries, declaring that U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Syria. This decision has faced criticism both domestically and internationally. The Munich Security Conference has been held annually since 1962 with the participation of high-ranking officials from various governments. This year, over 30 heads of state and government and 80 defense and foreign ministers from around the world are attending the conference, which began on Friday. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has also traveled to Munich to attend and speak at the conference.