But the US has threatened to punish foreign companies that violate the sanctions and has used the dollar’s global clout as a bludgeon, threatening to sanction foreign banks that finance trade with Iran. European companies have fallen into line, despite the European Union’s express desire..…

Daily Telegraph columnist Con Coughlin blames the idea that the United States could be partly responsible for the recent escalation with Iran on the “European Union’s deep-rooted anti-Americanism.” ..…

China, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia, and the United Kingdom are the remaining co-signatories to the deal after the exit of the United States. . Iran claims its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, including power generation. ..…

In particular, Germany is arming Sunni Arab nations in a long-term strategy to undermine the Islamic Republic of Iran. . Iran controls 15 percent of the world’s oil. The German-led European Union is the world’s second-biggest energy importer. ..…