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What did Warsaw reveal about the Iran split?
Summary
A look back at the US-led conference in Warsaw, where Washington pressed European governments over Iran sanctions and the nuclear deal.
What did the Warsaw conference show about transatlantic differences over Iran? Looking back at 15 February 2019, the day after the meeting closed, the answer lay in the speech made on its final day.
On 14 February 2019, US Vice President Mike Pence accused European Union members of trying to break US sanctions against Iran. He also called on the EU to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear agreement with Iran.
The conference, hosted by Poland and the United States, ran on 13 and 14 February 2019 in Warsaw. The joint announcement listed its themes as terrorism and extremism, missile development and proliferation, maritime trade and security, and threats posed by proxy groups across the region.
The framing had been contested. In early February, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the purpose was to focus on Iran's influence and terrorism in the region. European objections to that purpose followed, and the United States was forced to backtrack on plans to build a global coalition against Iran.
Set side by side, those points show the gap. Washington wanted Europe to abandon the nuclear agreement and stop efforts around US sanctions, while European governments objected to a conference aimed at Iran. Pence's public call on the EU to leave the deal made that disagreement explicit on 14 February 2019.
