As the Iranian economy begins to feel the growing pain of American-led sanctions, the question of a proper counterstrategy to minimize the damage and to ensure the sustainability of Iran's economic well-being looms large. 

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy "Federica Mogherini has announced that the Europe's package of proposals for preserving the nuclear deal will soon be delivered to the Iranian authorities.

 While nearly two months have passed since the 2018 parliamentary election in Iraq, Riyadh continues to cross the line and meddle in Baghdad’s internal affairs.

As the EU scrambles to offer a viable package of economic incentives to convince Iran to stay in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after the US withdrawal, some forces are attempting to undermine this effort and fully align the bloc’s policies with the Trump administration’s strategy of isolating Iran.

Kaveh L. Afrasiabi and Seyedrasoul Mousavi
On June 8-9, the 18th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be held in Qingdao, China. Ahead of the summit, in an interview with the Chinese media, Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted that “the SCO member states account for one fourth of the world’s GDP, 43 percent of the international population and 23 percent of the global territory.”

Kaveh L. Afrasiabi
The scene at the Heritage Foundation today could have come from the film The Ugly American. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo devoted his first major foreign-policy speech—since assuming the office from his more affable, and certainly wiser, predecessor Rex Tillerson—to pouring venom on Iran and, in essence, declaring economic war by promising to “crush” Iran’s economy by imposing the “strongest sanctions in history.”

Venting their anger at the Trump administration, the European leaders at the Sophia summit resolved to protect Europe's economic interests in Iran by invoking the so-called "Blocking Statute" that prohibits the European firms from complying with the requirements of new US sanctions on Iran.

Seyed Hossein Mousavian
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo laid out a list of demands on Iran in a speech threatening to “crush” the country on Monday. His bellicose words come weeks after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal and are nothing short of an ultimatum demanding Iran’s total surrender to U.S. wishes.

 Speaking about Donald Trump turning down European requests about the US staying in the 2015 JCPOA Iran nuclear deal and the deepening gap between the US and EU, John Tirman says: “This is a golden opportunity for the EU to rebalance the alliance, which for decades has been dominated by the U.S.”

US President Donald Trump’s pullout from the Iran nuclear deal has put Europe under pressure to salvage the 2015 multilateral agreement. But does the EU have what it takes to stand up to US sanctions?