On Tuesday 7 November, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini called on the US Congress to uphold the agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme that US President Donald Trump refused to re-certify on 13 October.
While underlining that she did not want to interfere in domestic US politics, Mogherini said that she had talked to several members of the US Congress about "the need for the USA to uphold the agreement". "I have guarantees from several actors that this is exactly the spirit in which they are working", she said at a press conference in Washington, adding that there had been "clear indications that the intention is to ensure the US continues to uphold the agreement".
Mogherini stated that Europeans were ready to accompany the legislators to find solutions that are compatible with the agreement. "We are ready to discuss the content", she said.
She nevertheless refused to comment on the content of the legislative proposal that is being prepared, saying she had "not seen" the draft. According to several observers, this proposal is reportedly similar to a unilateral renegotiation of the agreement. "Renegotiating" this agreement, even in part, "is not an option", Mogherini again stated.
When asked about possible US sanctions on Iran, which could have repercussions on European companies due to their extraterritoriality, Mogherini said she had "clearly indicated that the European Union and its member states will protect European interests", be they security interests or economic. "I have the impression that in the US, there is sometimes an overestimation of the economic relations the EU has with Iran (...) Our exports to Iran account for 0.4% of total EU exports to the world, which means that they are not relevant for the European economy", she said.
While stating that the nuclear agreement only focused on the nuclear, Mogherini spoke about the tension in the Gulf region, especially between Iran and Saudi Arabia. She called for "a different approach in the region, which invests more in cooperation and less in confrontation". "We are not happy with some of the behaviour we see in the region, coming from all parties", she said, encouraging "dialogue, openness, and regional cooperation". "We will work to reduce and contain the tension", she added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)