- Iranians holding Ashura mourning for Imam Hussein
- Third step: Iran officially informs EU of plan to expand nuclear R&D
- Iran expands nuclear R&D program: Rouhani
- Iran goes ahead in space tech, despite US sanctions: ISA
- Resistance Front undermining Israeli regime power: Top commander
- Iran: 7 crew members of detained UK ship freed
- US addiction to sanction threaten its power: Iran’s Zarif
- Dutch role in 2007 Stuxnet attack on Iran’s nuclear site under scrutiny: Iraian FM Spox.
- Iran: ‘Sustainable Security 2019’ kicks off in Caspian Sea
- Iran’s Zarif leaves Tehran for Moscow
- Shiraz University ranked 1st in liver transplantation: Iranian health official
- Japan’s Abe to meet Iran’s president to discuss easing tension in region
- Downing of US spy drone shattered war threats against Iran: Top IRGC commander
- IAEO head reports development of first ion-therapy hospital in west of Asia
- Iranian Taekwondo team wins 2019 World Cup championship
- US sanctions failed to force Iran to buckle: Report
- Crew fixing Iran oil tanker broken down in Red Sea
- As Iranians hold nerves, US seeks to scare off trade
- Leader expresses concern about Kashmir, urges India to follow fair policy toward Muslim-majority region
- Iran saffron exports down due to smuggling, government restrictions: Exporter
- Iran FM warns US against ‘serious miscalculation’ in Persian Gulf
- Iran’s resistance policy led to release of oil tanker: MP
- Iran in reverse brain drain as top students come home in rising numbers
- Iran official calls for compensation for tanker seizure
- Iran hails N Korea for standing against ‘unilateral’ US demands
- Shia Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Ghadir
- North Korea praises Iran’s anti-US struggle
- Zarif says to meet French president Friday
- Iranian court hearing case of UK oil tanker
- Over half of Japanese voters oppose joining US-led anti-Iran coalition in Persian Gulf: Poll
- IME trade ups by 21 percent in July
- Finland backs INSTEX in defiance of US
- US anti-Iran policy in high seas harms Europeans: LA Times
- Iran, China confer on Syria
- Iran, Finland share views on Persian Gulf dialogue forum: Zarif
- Iran warns US against seizure of oil tanker
- Iraq eager to benefit from Iranian Police’s experience
- Iran planning 3rd step to reduce nuclear commitments: Spokesman
- Leader grants clemency to over 1,000 Iranian inmates
- Registration for Arbaeen Pilgrimage to begin in Iran on Friday
- Iran, Iraq agree to reopen Khosravi border crossing
- Iran deplores suicide attack at Kabul wedding hall
- Iran to hold int'l hand-woven carpets expo
- Zarif meets with Iran-Kuwait Friendship Group members
- Adrian Darya oil tanker not under any sanctions, says Iran envoy
- ‘Iran to stay in nuclear deal as long as its interests are met’
- India envoy happy with positive trend of trade with Iran
- Iran’s annual export of white meat tops 2.5m tons: Minister
- Iranian scientist discovers new state of matter
- Iran, Japan diplomats discuss bilateral ties
- Iran, Ansarullah, European representatives Yemen developments
- ‘Iran to become self-sufficient in producing aircraft engines'
- US issues seizure warrant for Iranian supertanker 'Grace 1'
- Neanderthal tooth unearthed near Iran’s Zagros mountain
- Iran’s Zarif due in Kuwait on Saturday
- US faces humiliating defeat after Gibraltar releases Iranian tanker: Envoy
- Spokesman rejects claim on Iran’s commitment in exchange for tanker release
- Zarif reacts to release of Iranian tanker in Gibraltar
- Israel, UAE engaged in secret talks on Iran arranged by US: Report
- US threatens visa ban as Iranian-operated tanker sets to sail from Gibraltar
- Enemies must factor Iran's global power in their calculations: IRGC's chief commander
- Trump’s administration conflicting messages to Iran baffle go-betweens: Report
- Gibraltar releases Iran-operated tanker despite US pressure
TEHRAN, Mar 05 - A political analyst based in London highlighted the European Union’s unwillingness to back US President Donald Trump's position on Iran and said the EU does not support any military action against Tehran or any move to “asphyxiate the Iranian economy”.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - “…I am told in the private meetings with the American representatives that Europe does not support any sort of military action against Iran or any action designed to try to asphyxiate the Iranian economy,” Marcus Papadopoulos said in an interview with the Tasnim News Agency.
Papadopoulos is a political expert and the publisher and editor of Politics First, a non-partisan publication for the UK Parliament. He earned his MA in Modern History and his Ph.D. in Russian history from Royal Holloway, University of London. His comments and interviews have appeared in various news outlets, including RT, Al Jazeera, Rossiya 24, TASS and RIA Novosti.
The following is the full text of the interview:
Tasnim: Tensions have grown in recent months between the US and its closest allies in the EU over various issues, including Iran, which was underlined at a recent US-backed conference on the Middle East in Poland that was largely sidestepped by many European governments. What do you think about US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy that has strained the transatlantic relations?
Papadopoulos: Well, it’s certainly the case that Donald Trump is polarizing both America and Europe and he is polarizing both continents in terms of his domestic policy and his foreign policy. Now, regarding the latter, his foreign policy, when it comes to his antagonistic stance on Iran, Europe does not wish to follow him in what could eventually end up being a military crusade led by America against Iran. So, the most recent example of Europe's unwillingness to back Trump's position on Iran was the conference in Poland which we can say was quite simply an anti-Iran conference. This conference was a miserable abject failure because the only countries who sent senior representatives were the (Persian) Gulf dictatorships such as Saudi Arabia. The European representatives there were low level and the European representatives did make it clear during the meeting and also I am told in the private meetings with the American representatives that Europe does not support any sort of military action against Iran or any action designed to try to asphyxiate the Iranian economy. Indeed, the host nation of this conference, Poland, said that the Polish government supports the Iran nuclear deal. So that leaves Trump in somewhat of an awkward position because yes, he has the backing of the (Persian) Gulf dictatorships against Iran, yes, he has the backing of Israel against Iran but he doesn't have the backing of Europe. So, what can he do next? Well, there are a number of steps available to him and probably the most powerful option at his disposal is to threaten those companies in Europe, for example, Germany and France to threaten them in order to deter them from trading and investing in Iran and he could be successful on that count. How? Because American representatives who say privately and in no uncertain terms to those European companies which are doing a lot of business with Iran that they have a choice: they either keep on trading with Iran or they trade with America. If they keep on trading with Iran then they could very well jeopardize their access to the American market. Now, of course, that is bully-boy tactics that is not in accordance with international law (and) not in accordance with the United Nations Charter. However, if push comes to shove my fear and my suspicion is that a lot of those companies operating in as I say Germany, for example, could decide that the American market is just far too important to them than the Iranian market. That's not to be disrespectful to the Iranian market. The Iranian economy is quite a robust one and it offers a lot in terms of trade to other countries in the world. However, you can't compare the Iranian market to the American market. The American economy is a superpower. The American market has 300 million people. So Europe does not support Trump's stance on Iran. Europe is most unlikely to support any military campaign that Trump could launch against Iran but Europe is vulnerable to American pressure to stop trading with Iran.
Tasnim: The Trump administration’s foreign policies are also slammed by top US officials. Recently, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi described the administration’s general approach toward Iran, including Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, as “completely wrong”. Do you believe other US officials would cooperate with the Trump administration in implementing its policies?
Papadopoulos: Well, I find it refreshing to know that there are people on Capitol Hill who are still steadfast in their support to the Iran nuclear deal though these people have no love through Iran but nonetheless they are still supporting the Iran nuclear deal and they are speaking out against Trump's aggressive approach to Iran. That is something to celebrate. That is positive news in my opinion. However, if and this is a big if, if Trump was to try to bring about some sort of subversive act in Iran and if American media would back Trump on the pretext that this covert operation in Iran, this subversive operation, is designed to bring freedom back to the Iranian people, I do suspect that those people on Capitol Hill who are supportive of the Iran nuclear deal, will support Trump's actions against Iran in that scenario. Indeed, I believe one of the things that unite both Democrats and Republicans is their hostility towards Iran. I believe both parties given an opportunity would relish the chance to overthrow the Iranian government, to destroy the Iranian Revolution, and to return Iran to how it was in the days of the Shah namely a client state because that would massively boost America's influence in the Middle East (and) massively strengthen America's hold over the Middle East and of course, that sort of scenario would put quite a smile on the faces of Saudi Arabia and Israel. So yes, it is good news that there are people on Capitol Hill who are still supporting the Iran nuclear deal but do I trust them when it comes to respecting Iran's independence and sovereignty? No, I don't. Do I trust them when it comes to speaking out, voting against any American attempts to intervene to interfere in Iran either directly or indirectly? No, I don't. America when it comes to Iran cannot be trusted. Indeed America can never be trusted when it comes to Iran.
Tasnim: The White House made a massive blunder after claiming European leaders applauded when Vice President Mike Pence dropped Trump’s name in a speech. Pence was speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany when he passed on Trump’s regards to the dignitaries gathered. The 59-year-old paused for several moments, waiting for a response, but the crowd remained silent. Do not you think that it is another sign of the strained transatlantic relations? How do you predict the European countries’ future reactions to the conflicting policies adopted by the Trump administration?
Papadopoulos: Well it's certainly the case that the recent Munich conference did not go well for the Americans. It proved to be a very awkward embarrassing experience for Mike Pence and indeed, there was a lot of tension in the audience in particular from European representatives because Europe does not like being told what to do by Trump.
Europe does not like bully-boy tactics which are being employed against it by Trump. Europe does not want to jeopardize or damage its lucrative trade with Iran and of course, Europe is a lot closer to Iran than what America is and in the event of a war, an American-led war, against Iran which would return the region into a fireball, which would have horrendous consequences for Europe, European leaders do not wish to see European security threatened by that scenario. So, the Munich conference was another reminder to the White House that all is not well in relations between America and Europe but that sense, however, when it comes to Venezuela, Europe largely speaking is supportive of America's stance, America's attempts to instigate a coup in Venezuela against a democratically elected president. So yes, we must applaud Europe when it comes to Iran but Europe will also support America when it comes to other countries in the world which perhaps Europe doesn't have such good close relations with and in that respect, I'm afraid to say that Europe can't be trusted because if Europe was sincerely committed to the United Nations Charter, an international law in general, then it would not be supporting America's stance on Venezuela, it would not be supporting the totally politically and electorally illegitimate Juan Guaido. Europe would be supporting Nicolas Maduro. So, you know it pains me to have to say this but once again Europe is playing a major role in the violation of international law and in stoking conflict in another country.
Source: Tasnim
Your Comment