Publication

This paper contends that while Europe has continued to advocate conditional engagement with Iran following the 2015 nuclear deal, the same cannot be said of the US. Under the Trump administration, the US has reoriented its foreign policy towards confrontation with Iran. Further, President Trump is now determined to condition America’s continued participation in the nuclear deal on Europe’s agreement to exert further pressure on Iran by unilaterally changing the deal’s terms. But the text’s author suggests that going along with the US president’s demands would be a mistake for Europe. For all its imperfections, the nuclear deal serves Europe’s interest in the upholding of the non-proliferation regime and preventing the Middle East from descending into further instability.