How the EU foreign ministers want to save the Iranian nuclear deal

Booth: 17:53 | Duration: 2 minutes

<img src = "https://www.welt.de/img/newsticker/news1/mobile177491212/4262508897-ci102l-w1024/EU-Aussenbeauftragte-Federica-Mogherini.jpg" data-content = "ProgressivePreviewImage. PreviewImageHandler "alt =" Federica Mogherini Federica Mogherini wants to save the deal, but the resources of the Alliance are limited

Source: AFP / Archives

N After the unilateral withdrawal of US Nuclear agreement with Iran, Europeans are desperate to save the agreement. Brussels diplomats have described this as a "question of destiny". On Monday, EU foreign ministers in Brussels gave the green light for the protection of European companies against sanctions reintroduced by Washington. This is to ensure that companies can continue to do business with Iran and Tehran in turn continues to hang on to the nuclear deal.

But this calculation is nothing but vague hope. At the moment, from the point of view of European diplomats, there is the "great danger" that Iran will resume its medium-term military nuclear program because of US sanctions reintroduced on 7 August. The EU has been trying for weeks with all its might to prevent this.

The head of EU foreign policy, Federica Mogherini, does not stop saying: "We are determined to respect this agreement." But the resources are limited. However, one way could be the protection adopted Monday for European companies to defend against US sanctions. Experts doubt that this measure will be effective

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European companies return to the status of blockage, introduced in 1996. The head of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, had proposed in May to reactivate this law on defense, in particular to protect small and medium enterprises against US sanctions. Earlier, US President Donald Trump – in addition to calling on the West to stop all oil imports from Iran starting in November – was threatening that any company having traded with the company would be able to sell it. Iran was likely to be blacklisted and exchanged even extreme case to cut the US market.

The defense law should now encourage European companies to ignore the threat of US sanctions. This could be done by compensating the companies involved for potential costs and losses, ideally even through the money confiscated from the Americans. However, it is more likely that the money will be paid for by the EU budget or by the Member States. However, the big European companies should stay on the Washington line because the US market and the dollar are too important for them.

Trump announced that he had withdrawn his nuclear deal in mid-May. It was agreed in 2015 and aims to prevent Iran from carrying out international controls on the construction of nuclear weapons.

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