LONDON: European leaders vowed to stand by the Iran nuclear deal on Thursday as US President Donald Trump weighs bringing back sanctions against Tehran.
Speaking after ministers from Britain, France, Germany and Iran met in Brussels, the EU’s diplomatic leader Federica Mogherini insisted that the pact had effectively deterred Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Despite the show of optimism for the 2015 deal, which lifted sanctions against Iran in return for curbs on the country’s nuclear program, the US president has threatened to follow through with a campaign promise to shred the agreement.
A Friday deadline looms for Trump to renew his support for the sanctions waiver. Top advisers have appealed to the president to adhere to the pact.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, said that while it was likely Trump would remain in the nuclear agreement, it was possible that Washington would pursue different avenues to squeeze Tehran.
“Ultimately the president will waive the nuclear sanctions to remain party to the core tenants of the nuclear deal but that doesn’t preclude the US from ramping up this non-nuclear pressure,” Ben Taleblu said.
He added: “The Europeans have wrongly interpreted American enforcement of the deal as an attempt to unravel it.”
The nuclear deal has empowered the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its militias in the region due to the sanctions relief, Majid Rafizadeh, a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist, told Arab News.
“This has further radicalized, militarized and destabilized the region,” he said, adding: “Iran continues to ratchet up its antagonistic policy toward other Arab nations, the US, and the West.”
While waiting for the Congress to act, Rafizadeh said, Trump administration will more likely impose additional sanctions targeting Iran’s ballistic missile program and individuals involved in human rights violations. “This would give the administration more robust platform to persuade the EU nations to fix the nuclear agreement or to abandon it.”
One major reason that EU powers desire to keep the nuclear deal is the increased trade and business deals between some EU countries and the Iranian regime, said Rafizadeh.
“Trump will more likely give the congress additional time to work on a legislation that would fix the loopholes in the deal, such as requiring Iran to allow its military sites be inspected for nuclear development, research, weaponization and proliferation,” he added.
Iran is also not adhering to the spirit of the nuclear deal due to its heightened interventionist and expansionist policies in the Arab world and due to its human rights violations domestically, he said.
Europeans ‘wrongly interpret’ US enforcement of Iran nuclear deal
Europeans ‘wrongly interpret’ US enforcement of Iran nuclear deal
Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction
- Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
