Combatting Trump's Wave of Isolation

I was talking to my good friend Amirhossein (@Amirh_91) recently and he brought up the point that the new Trump admin has started a new wave of isolationist/containment policies and actions against Iran. This is to be expected of a Republican administration, especially one as bombastic as Trump's. Previously, the US had full western support for its policies, but that has changed very recently.

Trump has really pissed off one of America's traditionally staunchest allies: Europe. Europe hates Trump, both politically and publicly (and one could argue more in the former than the latter).



Iran has to exploit this disunity just like it is exploiting the crisis in the Arab world, between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. A strong and focused diplomatic campaign is needed. This is an opportunity use Europe as a sort of bridge to engagement with the world, crossing a fiery pit of American containment policies.

This becomes even more important considering the role of Europe in the JCPOA. They have many seats in the dispute resolution panel of the JCPOA.

Why Europe?

Because Russia cannot be trusted and China is playing it cool. China doesn't have the sort of influence over the West as, well, most of the West (Europe) does. And we know that the West - specifically America - is the one pushing sanctions. China and Russia simply aren't prepared/able to put a stop to these, as evidenced by their support of UN sanctions against Iran.

Europe has recently assumed this strong anti-Trump standpoint, and Iran needs to exploit that. 

What does Iran have to gain from Europe?

Money

This is a big one. Iran can use an improved relationship with Europe to drive growth by way of trade. Increased trade relationship with Europe can serve as a buffer against American containment policies, hence thwarting American attempts to isolate Iran. This resistance to isolation can form part of Iran's "Resistance Economy" plan. And trade relations with not only Europe but other partners like China, India and others could follow suit. One mustn't underestimate the power of support of western banks in international trade. 

Political Capital

A better Iran-Europe relationship Iran could further its regional policies with less (but clearly not "no") opposition from Europe, and hence less united Western opposition.

Influence

Iran could influence European relations with Iran's enemies, the US an obvious one but also Saudi Arabia and its cronies, which is easier than it sounds given how much Europe hates the Saudis' human rights record. As mentioned above, Iran can also use its influence to prevent the US from sabotaging the JCPOA's sanction relief.

How would Iran go about this?

What the Rouhani administration has been doing already - interviews with western media, international forums, conferences (especially when high ranking officials are present), trade deals and generally good diplomacy - but stronger and with a focus on Europe.

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is like a diplomatic superweapon in this case. His articulate mastery of the English language makes him an excellent platform for dialogue with Europe.

One action that would be an indication of Iran's seriousness would be to assign an Ambassador (of sorts) to the European Union. I've read 1 vague mention on Wikipedia of a permanent representative to the EU... but that's it. Not only would an Ambassador be able to engage Europe directly, but would also be a signal of Iran's intentions.



Lastly, I'd like to apologise for the lack of posts in the past week. Laziness is my primary (invalid) excuse, though I'd also say there wasn't much to write about (and now MAKS 2017, Sayyad-3, SARV, etc come to mind)...