Strategic Council Online: A European affairs expert says on the eve of NATO’s 70th birthday, fears of a diminishing US commitment to the military alliance as well as Britain’s exit from the European Union has put European security in dire straits and this has increased efforts by major European states to gain strategic and defense independence from the United States.
Strategic Council Online: A university professor considers France’s stance on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the recent turmoil in Iran as politically motivated and completely biased. He also emphasized that the French Foreign Minister’s warning on using the trigger mechanism and a return to the international sanctions would be a form of evading its commitments.
Strategic Council Online: A British and European affairs researcher says concern over the decline of Britain’s territorial integrity after Brexit is at the forefront of concern of British political elites. He added that Scotland’s possible independence will likely result in a rapid decline of the British pound.
Strategic Council Online: A university professor of geopolitics, citing French President’s criticism of America’s uncoordinated role in NATO and the weakness of its coalition, views the statements made by Macron a change in Western line of thinking about the modern world and the United States. He says Iran should not halt working with Europe, but should act like a dove, with one wing dedicated to cooperation with Europe and the other wing devoted to East with China playing the central role so that we can develop the country.
Strategic Council Online: Developments in Syria and measures taken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to fill US military withdrawal from Syria over the past few weeks have further exposed the weakness and desperation of the European governments in pursuit of their political and security goals in the Middle East.
Morteza Makki – European Affairs Expert
Strategic Council Online: A European affairs expert says the House of Commons’ reaction to Mr. Johnson’s plans was a loss and at the same time a win for him but did not break the Brexit impasse. He said in the next few months, the situation in the United Kingdom remains ambiguous as to how London wants to exit the EU.
Strategic Council Online: The United States has shown in different terms, especially under Donald Trump that it does not regard Europe a close ally; withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, pulling out of many trade treaties, and leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) contrary to the wishes of European governments indicates that the political and historical bonds between the two sides of the Atlantic are fading, because their common interests have diminished.
Morteza Makki – European Affairs Expert
Strategic Council Online: An international relations professor said with the decline in America’s hegemony in international system, the geopolitical competition will return to Europe. He added it was likely to see past competitions revived between Germany and Britain, and Germany and France in a not too distant future.
Strategic Council Online: Russia seeks to thwart US efforts to build coalitions in the region. Moscow sees the US plan as very dangerous that could both increase military presence in the region and enhance the likelihood of conflicts. So the Kremlin is trying to prevent the US-led coalition from escalating tensions in the region.
Mahmoud Shouri – Russia Affairs Expert
Strategic Council Online: A strategic affairs expert says a new round of tariff war between Europe and the United States appears to have been shaped. He added that a series of issues has made trade disputes between the two sides more complex, especially if Trump puts into effect his threat to significantly raise car import and parts tariffs from Europe to the United States it would be like a bomb that would completely change the bilateral trade relations.
Strategic Council Online: A university professor says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has given up some of his political misconduct over the past year, adding: “Saudi Arabia has human rights problems, but thanks to rich bank accounts, Riyadh has not come under real European and US pressure because for them the Saudi petrodollars are more attractive than the human rights situation.”
Strategic Council Online: Less than a month remains to the end of the official deadline for Britain to exit the European Union and a countdown has started for its political leaders to put whatever they have on the table hoping that UK will come out of a historic crisis it has been facing for three years. Under these circumstances, the prime minister’s political competence has been questioned, and this has complicated the possibility of implementing the Brexit deal.
Hamideh Safamanesh – International Relations Researcher
Strategic Council Online: An international relations lecturer noted that Saudi Arabia and its crown prince were under intense pressure over the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Gamal Khashoggi. He said accepting responsibility by Bin Salman will not take the burden off his shoulders.
Strategic Council Online: A university professor says if we ignore direct US trade war with China, coalition of China, Russia and Iran shows that US interests are weakening. “This has prompted the United States to engage in adventurism in Hong Kong as a region very far away.”
Strategic Council Online: The escalation of Washington’s strict policies against Iran and Turkey over the past year has made the two neighboring countries more resolute in further strengthening their relations.
Siamak Kakaie – Turkey Affairs Expert
Strategic Council Online: A university professor said the recent developments in the region made it less likely for a Persian Gulf maritime alliance to get shaped, adding that when tension rises countries may declare in the political arena that they favor coalition or not but in the true dimensions of the coalition, countries are much less likely to welcome the idea because there is concern that the alliance would actually engage in military conflict.
Strategic Council Online: A member of Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee says Europe does not have the necessary power to fulfill its bids on Iran, adding: “The truth is that European plans to keep the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are not raised independently and are checked with the US Department of the Treasury. These schemes are not independent and therefore would be fruitless.”
Strategic Council Online: The United States justifies its recent move in sanctioning Iran’s foreign minister to be in line with exerting maximum pressure on our country, but in international literature, it is considered irrational and contrary to international law.
Rahman Ghahremanpour – International Affairs Expert
Strategic Council Online: President of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations says although Iran and China are both under the pressures of US sanctions, they should utilize new mechanisms to strengthen their relations.
Strategic Council Online: For a possible European response at the end of the 60-day deadline set by Iran, there are two general scenarios: Resuming the strategy of getting the finger on the trigger, or a change in the current approach and full compensation of US sanctions against Iran in the financial-trade area and strengthening of INSTEX and other possible channels.
Reza Majidzadeh – International Affairs Expert
