Upon hearing about the U.S. lifting sanctions, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy quickly followed suit in easing restrictions on Iran—they simply can't bear the pressure anymore.
The European narrative sounds quite "principled": "Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, so we're willing to lift sanctions in exchange for concrete actions." Put plainly, it means: "We talk about non-proliferation, but our real concern is the Strait of Hormuz."
It's that simple.
After years of war between Russia and Ukraine, the Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed, and Russia cut off its own energy supplies. European industrial electricity, chemical, and refining sectors have still not recovered. Now, if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, with roughly one-fifth of global oil passing through, what choice does Europe have besides panicking? Continue to hold firm? If they do, Germany’s already meager manufacturing base will be forced to relocate to Texas.
Just a week ago, the EU was expanding its sanction framework—yet as soon as the U.S. and Iran extended a olive branch, the E4 (the UK, France, Germany, and Italy) rushed to declare: "We’re ready to lift sanctions." This isn’t diplomatic composure—it’s strategic desperation.
The first to speak up gets a seat at the table in subsequent energy restarts and reconstruction benefit allocations. France is especially shrewd: while loudly asserting its nuclear red line, it’s already eyeing control over escort operations.
Thus, Europe’s biggest illusion over the past decades has been believing that "values-based diplomacy" could sustain them like a meal. When the moment of existential crisis arrives, all talk of sanction systems and transatlantic unity is cast aside.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868034364944395/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.