ZCZC
BCN-20
US-IRAN-EU-ENERGY-OIL
Pompeo urges EU to get tough on Iran
BRUSSELS, July 13, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
urged European powers to get behind American measures to cut Iran off from
world energy markets Thursday, during talks in Brussels.
While debate at the nearby NATO summit was marked by President Donald
Trump’s attacks on Germany’s close energy ties with Russia, his top diplomat
had another target.
Pompeo peeled off from Trump’s summit entourage and joined US Energy
Secretary Rick Perry and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at the
EU-US energy council.
Pompeo made no statement going into the talks, but his Twitter account
showed what was on his mind.
“Iran continues to send weapons across the Middle East, in blatant
violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” he wrote.
“Iran’s regime wants to start trouble wherever it can. It’s our
responsibility to stop it.”
Then, just before the talks started, he added: “We ask our allies and
partners to join our economic pressure campaign against Iran’s regime.
“We must cut off all funding the regime uses to fund terrorism and proxy
wars,” he warned.
“There’s no telling when Iran may try to foment terrorism, violence and
instability in one of our countries next.”
Alongside the tweet he posted a map of Europe purporting to show the
locations of 11 “terror attacks” US officials believe Iran or its proxy
Hezbollah have carried out since 1979.
Washington dismayed Europe in May when Trump pulled out of the 2015 accord
under which Iran agreed to controls on its nuclear program in exchange for
sanctions relief.
US sanctions have now “snapped back” into place and US officials have
begun to hope that the economic pressure is fuelling domestic discontent
against the Tehran regime.
European companies are reluctant to resume trade with Iran at the risk of
being hit by US secondary sanctions, but the main EU capitals want to protect
the accord.
They are thus resisting a US threat to impose sanctions on any entity
trading in Iranian oil or dealing with the Iranian central bank after a
November 4 deadline.
BSS/AFP/HR/1005