Zarif to Europe: You Can't Swim Without Getting Wet

With the failure of efforts to establish a special financial mechanism for Europe during the U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif indirectly addressed European countries by saying, "You can't swim without getting wet." Zarif made this statement at the "Mediterranean Dialogues" conference. He described the JCPOA agreement, which was reached after lengthy negotiations between Iran and world powers, as an agreement with a "good outcome" and urged Europe and "others" to "invest and pay for their efforts and global security." The Iranian Foreign Minister did not specify who the "others" were but told EU members that "you can't swim without getting wet." His remark referred to the reluctance of European countries to host the special financial mechanism between Iran and Europe, which, despite Iran's high hopes, has not yet reached a clear outcome. The EU mechanism, known as the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), was designed to circumvent U.S. sanctions against banks involved in transferring funds for Iranian oil exports. The day before, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, stated that the main reason European countries did not accept hosting the special financial mechanism with Iran was due to a warning from Brian Hook, the U.S. Special Representative for Iran. Reuters reported that Hook had warned European companies over the phone about non-dollar trade with Iran, stating that the U.S. is "very serious about enforcing sanctions against this brutal and violent regime." It was previously predicted that this U.S. warning would complicate the establishment of this financial channel. Zarif also stated at the conference that "everyone knows me as someone who is for interaction and dialogue; however, if it comes down to choosing between Iran's independence and interaction, I will definitely stand for Iran's independence. Diplomacy is not a game, and we are always ready for serious matters." Zarif criticized the "slowness" of European countries' actions to assist trade with Iran, warning that without Iran benefiting from the "economic dividends" of the JCPOA, the "continuation of the current situation" is not possible. He stated that Iran has always declared that it has "multiple options" regarding the JCPOA; therefore, its choices will be made based on national interests and the framework defined in the country. The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, who announces the final stance of the regime on foreign policy, also stated that the Islamic Republic has remained in the JCPOA only due to the "insistence" of Europeans. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had previously asked Hassan Rouhani's government to "give up hope" on issues like the JCPOA or the economy from Europeans and to look at their promises with skepticism.