US, Europe have no clear strategy on Iran: NIAC chairman

Tehran, IRNA – Jamal Abdi, Chairman of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), says the United States and Europe are continuing their pressure campaign against Iran over its nuclear program because they have no other clear strategy to pursue.

Abdi made the comment in an exclusive interview with IRNA, published on Tuesday.

The following is the full text of the interview:

Question: What is the objective of Europe and the United States in adopting the new resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors despite Iran’s cooperation with the Agency following the 12-day war waged by Israel?

Answer: The EU and the US do not currently have a real policy on Iran. US President Donald Trump appears largely disengaged and this administration, unlike in the past, is only really active on what the president is directly focused on. The EU had hoped to curry favor with Trump by pursuing snapback and now de facto pressure mechanisms like the Board of Governors’ resolution. There does not seem to be any strategy beyond that. The US meanwhile is sleepwalking through maximum pressure and lower level appointees and bureaucrats are grasping at low hanging fruit pressure mechanisms, like the IAEA resolution. 

Question: The IAEA’s official report states that the suspension of certain safeguards activities and the withdrawal of inspectors resulted from the circumstances following attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, and that these decisions were made based on security considerations. In your view, why are the US and the three European countries – namely Britain, France, and Germany, collectively known as the E3 – attempting to portray the situation as normal?

Answer: The US and Europe have no interest in atoning for or acknowledging the byproduct of the Israel-led war that they each helped support.

Question: From your perspective, what approach are the US and the E3 pursuing regarding Iran’s nuclear issue after the 12-day war and in the aftermath of the end of the JCPOA and Resolution 2231?

Answer: As long as Donald Trump is disengaged and is either convinced or sees it in his interest to claim that the US dismantled Iran's nuclear program, the US-EU approach will be on autopilot. There is effectively one man who is deciding the policy and that is Trump.