(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - Tehran's attack on the global oil supply finally has moved Europe toward the U.S. position. That's the meaning of a joint statement Monday by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and French President Emmanuel Macron blaming Tehran for the Sept. 14 attack on Saudi Arabia. "It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility for this attack. There is no other plausible explanation," their statement says. More significant, the Europeans call for "Iran to accept negotiation on a long-term framework for its nuclear program as well as on issues related to regional security, including its missiles program and other means of delivery." In other words, they want Iran to renegotiate the 2015 deal to include U.S. concerns about the accord's flaws, Iran's ballistic missiles and its regional imperialism. This is a major shift that further isolates Tehran. It suggests that Europe has abandoned its attempts to help Iran by working around U.S. financial sanctions. Iran will now face even greater pressure to renegotiate.
2019-09-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive