Iran: European nations caved in to ‘high school bully’ Trump

Iran’s foreign minister is accusing three European heads of state of appeasing President Trump, whom he called a “high school bully,” by invoking a dispute-resolution provision of the 2015 nuclear deal the U.S. withdrew from in 2018.

“Appeasement confirmed. E3 sold out remnants of #JCPOA to avoid new Trump tariffs,” Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.

“It won’t work my friends. You only whet his appetite,” the Iranian official added. “Remember your high school bully?” 

Appeasement confirmed.

E3 sold out remnants of #JCPOA to avoid new Trump tariffs.

It won’t work my friends. You only whet his appetite. Remember your high school bully?

If you want to sell your integrity, go ahead. But DO NOT assume high moral/legal ground.

YOU DON’T HAVE IT. pic.twitter.com/tePZhN2E4X

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 15, 2020

Britain, Germany and France triggered the dispute mechanism this week amid tensions between Washington and Tehran that have, in recent weeks, included the U.S.’s killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a Baghdad drone strike, a retaliatory missile strike by Iran on an Iraqi airbase housing U.S. troops, and Tehran’s announcement it would no longer abide by the uranium enrichment limits in the 2015 nuclear deal.

On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration warned it would impose a 25-percent tariff on European car imports unless the nations formally accused Iran of violating the Obama-era nuclear deal. Two European diplomats told Reuters such an ultimatum was issued, but only after the nations’ leaders had already made a decision to trigger the dispute mechanism.

A third diplomat told the news service the ultimatum was counterproductive because it made the European countries appear to be following Trump’s orders in the eyes of the world at large.

“True or not it has the effect of discrediting the Europeans, but then Trump doesn’t really care about that,” the third diplomat told Reuters. “From the Iranian side, it just proves that only the U.S. matters in this.”