The Trump-Iran fight brings the war back to the Gulf

The decision of US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the multinational nuclear deal with Iran has jeopardized many years of negotiations aimed at preventing Tehran from making its first atomic bomb.

The Iranian government announced this week that it would renounce several of its nuclear commitments made in the pact with the "Group 5 1", signed on July 14, 2015 in Paris by representatives of the United States, France, China, Russia and the United States. United Kingdom plus Germany. A year ago, Trump withdrew his country from the pact. From now on, Iran will no longer limit its reserves of heavy water and enriched uranium as promised by the agreement, with which the nuclear clock has been put back on track. Tehran gave 60 days to the signatories of the agreement to "comply with Washington or save the document", to which Russia and China reacted positively.

The international tension is undoubtedly increased. In response to the decision of the government of Ayatollah Hasan Rohani, the White House has applied new sanctions to the Iranian mining and steel sector. And he also sent two aircraft carriers and B-52 bombers to the Middle East to put pressure on the Persian government.

"A war is always possible, especially when the parties are strengthening their military forces in the conflict zone, as is currently happening with Iran and the United States in the Persian Gulf," said Mario Sznajder, professor Political Science at the Telam Argentine University. Hebrew of Jerusalem. For this badyst, "Netanyahu is a declared enemy of Iran, and the intensification of the confrontation between this country and the United States is in line with its strategic vision, according to which the" nuclear power "of Iran Iran must be stopped by all possible means ". "Israel is not trying to make war on Iran, but we must keep in mind that Iran supports Hezbollah in Lebanon and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, both groups are radically anti-Israel, "said Sznajder.

At first glance, the attitude of the US President does not seem fair: he condemns on one side Iran, with which Washington has signed the treaty, and on the other, allows to d & rsquo; Other countries to continue their atomic activity, including North Korea.

Of course, this parallel is limited: there are huge differences between the Iranian case and North Korea, with Pyongyang having a dozen atomic bombs, according to estimates by the Federation of American Scientists. And his dictator Kim Jong-un has repeatedly threatened to annihilate his neighbors and the United States with nuclear weapons.

The European Union (EU), for its part, supported the agreement with Iran. Brussels has asked Tehran to preserve the pact signed with the six world powers, while lamenting the economic sanctions imposed by Washington.

The bloc of 28 countries introduced the "blockade status", which protects European companies from the effects of US sanctions. However, many international companies with trade relations with Washington have already broken off trade relations with Iran, fearing sanctions in the United States.

President Rohani is considered a moderate who rivals Islamic fundamentalists who follow Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and who has problems with Trump's policies. For many, he had no alternative and had to react to the pressure exerted by Washington.

As could be expected, Israel was one of the first to condemn the attitude of Iran to partially restore its nuclear program. Thus, supporting Washington's decision to withdraw from the agreement on May 8, 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that it would not allow Tehran to build nuclear weapons. Israel will continue to fight against "those who kill us," said the Israeli prime minister. Since the start of his campaign for the presidency in June 2015, Trump has demonstrated against the Joint Global Action Pact (JCPOA), the official name of the nuclear pact, signed by Obama on behalf of the United States. this year, with the other powers. Trump said that former Secretary of State John Kerry should be prosecuted for meeting with Iranian officials after leaving office, the Washington Post reported.