Pompeo Discusses 'Increasing Pressure on Iran' with NATO Members

Reuters reports that Mike Pompeo is discussing Iran during his meetings with the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, and other NATO member countries. According to a U.S. official, there is more 'agreement than disagreement' between Washington and European powers regarding Iran. Mr. Pompeo arrived in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, on July 9, where NATO ministers and leaders gather for discussions. As reported by Reuters, the U.S. Secretary of State is expected to talk with his European counterparts about 'increasing pressure on Iran' on the sidelines of the meetings and negotiations. Before departing for Brussels, the U.S. Secretary of State stated in the United Arab Emirates that his country is implementing a series of sanctions to 'make the Iranian regime understand that its malevolent behavior is unacceptable and carries significant real costs for them.' Since Donald Trump announced that his administration would withdraw from the nuclear agreement made during Barack Obama's presidency with Iran and five other countries, U.S. officials' activities related to sanctions against Tehran have increased. European powers involved in negotiations with Iran are trying to preserve the JCPOA. However, considering the repeated warnings from the United States regarding the consequences of trade with Iran, it remains unclear whether their joint actions with Tehran officials will lead anywhere. During the U.S. Secretary of State's trip from the UAE to Belgium, an unnamed State Department official told accompanying reporters that, in addition to Pompeo's meetings with Emirati officials, a high-level delegation also met with Saudi officials. The goal of these negotiations was mentioned as finding 'new ways to prevent financial turnover' for the Islamic Republic. According to the U.S. State Department official, Washington and Riyadh officials discussed 'reducing potential disruptions in the oil market and helping partners find alternatives to importing oil (from other countries) instead of Iranian oil.' The U.S. State Department announced earlier in July that it is working to 'convince as many customers as possible to completely cut their oil purchases from Iran.' These actions are described as part of the overall U.S. policies towards Tehran, with the aim of compelling the Islamic Republic to change its 'threatening' behaviors and return to new negotiations. On the other hand, Tehran has not shown any official signs of willingness to negotiate again with the United States, stating that while agreements made with the U.S. lose their validity with a change of government in that country, it cannot trust Washington. The U.S. government, in addition to Iran's nuclear program, claims that Tehran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, has developed its missile program, and its actions have led to instability in the Middle East. Tehran denies the accusation of supporting terrorism and levels similar accusations against U.S. allies in the Middle East. Although Europeans have repeatedly supported the nuclear agreement with Iran, they have echoed Washington's criticisms of Iran's missile program and regional activities. The U.S. State Department official who spoke with reporters on Tuesday also stated, 'No matter how much people write about tensions in transatlantic relations (between the U.S. and Europe), there is much more agreement than disagreement regarding Iran.'