Europeans Invoke 'Blocking Statute' To Preserve Iran Deal

[turbinetree]

Source: National Memo

May 20, 2018 4:45 am / 0 Comments / Europe, Headlines, Middle East, White House, World

Reprinted with permission from Shareblue.com

Trump’s decision to violate the Iran nuclear deal is prompting the European Union to take action in direct rebuke of America. The EU will invoke a rarely-used trade law which would circumvent sanctions on Iran and try to salvage relations.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the group plans to invoke a blocking statute. The effect of the statute would be to ban European companies from complying with U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Iran has successfully complied with international inspections of nuclear facilities. Yet Trump, desperate to undo the accomplishments of President Obama, plans to reinstate the sanctions that were lifted in exchange for Iran halting nuclear production.

Furthermore, reintroducing sanctions is also likely to increase U.S. gas prices, causing financial pain for millions of Americans.

Read more: http://www.nationalmemo.com/europeans-invoke-blocking-statue-to-preserve-iran-deal/

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Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, put Trump’s disdain for traditional allies in very clear terms. “With friends like that, who needs enemies,” he wondered.

His assessment appears spot-on. Under Trump, America is going it alone, abandoning allies it once fought beside to prevent the spread of tyranny. And the European Union is doing anything it can to limit the damage from his reckless acts.

[OnDoutside]

1. Your move, Donnie.

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread turbinetree

[Dawson Leery]

3. America will be further isolated.

There are consequences for your vote.
The world is no longer going to yield for America.

[bitterross]

4. Good for the EU. I love the USA, I just don't love its "leaders."

I love my country, make no mistake. But I am happy to see the EU take action against it for the violation of agreements. The USA is not the leader of the free world anymore. The GOP did that.

Isolationism with walls, anti-immigration attitudes, and tariffs - yep, sounds like the 20's right before the depression.

[bronxiteforever]

5. Another member posted the below article from Bloomberg

And it explains how EU nations describe what Cheeto is doing to them:

“Now, another incomprehensible economic spectacle is unfolding parallel to Trump’s pressure on European steel and aluminum exporters. National Security Adviser John Bolton is threatening sanctions against European companies for dealing with Iran — and, at the same time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is promising U.S. investment in North Korea if it denuclearizes. Wasn’t that what the Iran deal was about?
“So, American firms will soon be able to do business in North Korea, but not European ones in Iran,” commentator Mark Schieritz wrote on Twitter. “

The article and post is here

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10633167


I totally understand what the EU is doing because the US is treating our allied and democratic nations much worse than the dictators and dear leaders of the world.

Great post kick and recommend

[TimeSnowDemos]

6. Good for the EU

The US is isolating itself at breakneck speed.

[Overseas]

7. Glad to hear it. Hope the Iran Deal will stay in place. /nt

[GulfCoast66]

8. Trump voters dont give a shit about Europe

Rush and sean have told them Europe is a hell hole full of atheist, socialists and muslims.

Hell, they see them as enemies. I reguarly have people express amazment that I continue to travel there.

[Odoreida]

9. I think the RW has pretty much written off the EU as just another bunch of Muslim countries. n/t

[OnDoutside]

11. If the US sanction EU companies, expect the EU to

sanction US companies in key red states. It's not a game Trump will win.

[Igel]

12. So what you're saying is ...

That foreign countries would try to apply leveraged economic pressure to influence US politics in an election year?



Note that a "blocking statute" is what Russia, in response to US sanctions, has inaugurated. That was deemed highly inappropriate.

So there are two ways in which Europe is like Russia. Good when Europe does them, bad when Russia does them. It's almost like we assume that anything done by a good guy must itself be good, even if it's the same execrable tools and techniques (with the same intent) when done by a bad guy. As though we displace our judgment for the use to the tool. Interesting, that.

[OnDoutside]

13. No. Trump has cast aside an agreement that is working, for

reasons most people believe have more to do with the fact that Obama signed the deal than Iran broke it, which they didn't. Furthermore, the Trump administration have threatened sanctions against any EU company doing business with Iran. Bully threats like that should not be allowed to go without response, and there should be a commensurate response against similar US companies, preferably Red State ones. The preference is that there are no sanctions against any party.

It is bizarre to suggest that the EU should take an attack on EU companies, and not respond, just because elections are held in the US.

[Firestorm49]

10. More Power To The Europeans

It is painful and disheartening that the stature of America has been reduced to rubble under GOP leadership. On so many fronts, we’ve lost respect as a great and powerful nation. One has to wonder what the xxxxx they are thinking? Are their heads so far up their butts that they don’t see what they are doing, do they simply not care, or, are they simply that STUPID! That’s my vote, they’re stupid. How sad that in our lifetime we have to witness our own self destruction at the hands of the GOP and King Donald.

[Alethia Merritt]

14. Our rising gas prices are just what the American oligarchy wants. Couple that with tax cuts

the income and wealth gap widens to almost totally destroy working men and women and their families.