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Trump is right on Iran, but he needs Europe's support

Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, in a letter to the EU ministers, has rejected an appeal for carve-outs in finance, energy and healthcare.

United States President Donald Trump on Friday said that he wanted to substantially reduce nuclear weapons. It's a noble thought. The world certainly would be a better place without the nukes, and the looming dangers of their use for mass destruction. Yet, it would be hard for a country to accomplish this goal alone. The US is economically and militarily the strongest globally, but it needs partners who believe in its ambitions to realise them. Still, Trump believes otherwise and in a recent showdown with European allies, the US administration has shot down appeals from the European Union to give relief to select industries in the wake of sanctions on Iran. Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, in a letter to the EU ministers, has rejected an appeal for carve-outs in finance, energy and healthcare. The goal, understandably, is to exert maximum pressure on Iran and force it to act more responsibly, but the effectiveness of such measures is questionable.
The recent action is yet another sign of growing transatlantic rift between the US and Europe, one that is poised to further widen if the US continues to bruise relations. The growing divide could have a ripple effect on industries globally. A number of international firms started doing business with Iran after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was signed in 2015, particularly in the oil and gas sector. French firm Total, for instance, signed a $5-billion deal with Iran after the agreement, and British Petroleum is in a joint venture deal with Iran's state oil company. Aviation, tourism and the healthcare sector, too, would be facing the heat. The EU could use a blocking statute to protect its companies conducting business with Iran from US sanctions, but that would sour its relations further with the US. Iran has been singlehandedly undermining the security in the Middle East. It must end fighting proxy wars in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and stop providing succour to the Houthis and Hezbollah. And it must certainly give up on its nuclear programme. But for all this to happen, the US needs the support of its traditional allies and it needs to carve out a strategy that works for all.