European leaders critical of Donald Trump’s decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran are now considering their own, after an alleged assassination plot in Denmark.
Danish diplomats have asked for EU-level support after their intelligence services arrested an Iranian suspect with Norwegian citizenship who is allegedly connected to a plot to murder an Iranian opposition figure in their country, Fox News reports.
The call is said to have won “broad support” in a meeting of EU ambassadors, with at least eight countries backing the sanctions call.
“I appreciate the support from my colleague [Theresa May] today,” commented Danish prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen after the British leader backed him in a meeting.
“In close collaboration with UK and other countries, we will stand up to Iran,” he added.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered American support to European countries impacted by Iranian activity in the wake of the assassination plots, commenting: “That kind of behavior needs to stop, and we have offered our support and effort to help the Europeans in preventing these kinds of assassination attempts from taking place.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2018
However, the European Union has been highly critical of President Trump’s decision to reimpose sanctions on the Islamic Republic, scrambling to save the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).
“We deeply regret the further re-imposition of sanctions by the United States, due to the latter’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA),” declared EU High Representative Federica Mogherini in a joint statement signed by British, French, and German ministers.
“The JCPoA is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture and of multilateral diplomacy, endorsed unanimously by the U.N. Security Council through Resolution 2231. It is crucial for the security of Europe, the region, and the entire world,” she said.
Follow Jack Montgomery on Twitter: @JackBMontgomery
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