May 18, 2018
America faces real threat from Europe to block Iran sanctions
European leaders have sharply criticized President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union have opened negotiations with Iran to see if they can keep Iran in the agreement, and European diplomats began meeting this week to discuss strategies to insulate European companies from the U.S. sanctions that the Trump administration plans to reimpose later this year.
Administration officials and many experts in Washington have dismissed Europe’s ability to block U.S. sanctions, arguing that European companies are far more invested in the United States than Iran and will generally comply with U.S. sanctions regardless of developments in Brussels. French energy giant Total, for example, announced this week that it would stop investing in an Iranian gas field unless it can win an exemption from renewed U.S. sanctions.
But the Trump administration’s confidence in European acquiescence to renewed U.S. sanctions may be misplaced. While officials are correct that large European companies will generally comply with U.S. sanctions absent countervailing measures by Brussels, if the European Union is prepared to risk a major rift with Washington over Iran, member governments have tools to block U.S. sanctions. The administration should seek a diplomatic resolution to the brewing conflict if the alternative is watching Europe take steps that will undermine U.S. sanctions around the world.
Read the Full Article at The Hill
More from CNAS
-
Semiconductor Imports and U.S. National Security
Commentary
The Secretary of Commerce has initiated a Section 232 investigation to determine the effects on the national security of imports of semiconductors and semiconductor manufactur...
By Geoffrey Gertz & Caleb Withers
-
AI Diffusion with Paul Scharre
Podcast
Paul Scharre, AI expert and CNAS Executive Vice President, joins Geoff and Emily to talk about Trump’s AI dealmaking in the Gulf, the rescission of the Biden-era AI diffusion ...
By Emily Kilcrease, Paul Scharre & Geoffrey Gertz
-
Ex-NATO Official: Putin Is ‘Stringing Along Trump’ to Push for Sanctions Relief
Video
Jim Townsend, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, weighs in on peace talks after the Putin-Zelenskyy-Trump call and whether the U.S. is failing...
By Jim Townsend
-
Ziemba: U.S. Has To Be Ready To Accept Mideast Investments
Video
US President Donald Trump has secured $200 billion in deals during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, according to the White House, as he wraps up his visit to the Middle Ea...
By Rachel Ziemba
