German firms can’t be totally shielded from US Iran move: minister

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday warned European businesses that they would be held “to account” for working with Iran as he unveiled a list of steep demands he said should be included in a new nuclear deal. In his meeting last November with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Khamenei called for unity over sanctions imposed on both Russia and Iran.

The current Iranian regime is unlikely to accede, which means that pressure from sanctions will keep mounting, which in turn may lead to street protests and wider unrest.

Rouhani scoffed at the demands from Pompeo, a former congressman who was previously Trump’s Central Intelligence Agency director.

“Who are you to decide for Iran and the world?” the Iranian president was quoted as saying. Kowsari said, referring to Pompeo’s demand that Iran end its proliferation of ballistic missiles and halt further launching or development of nuclear-capable missile systems. “Countries have their independence”, he added.

Pompeo said on Monday the United States would exert unprecedented pressures on Iran, including the toughest sanctions ever, if Tehran refused to revise its policies. He insisted Iran give nuclear inspectors unfettered access to the country and stop funding rebels in Yemen. “The worldwide community expects all sides to keep the commitments they made more than two years ago”, she added.

“Iran will never again have carte blanche to dominate the Middle East”, Pompeo said, outlining 12 tough conditions from Washington for any “new deal” with Tehran.

Taken together, the demands would constitute a wholesale transformation by Iran’s government, and they hardened the perception that what Trump’s administration really seeks is a change in the Iranian regime.

The statement said Tehran regarded Pompeo’s “brazen remarks” as “gross interference in its domestic affairs and an illegal threat against a member of the United Nations”.

It’s no coincidence that John Bolton, one of the George W. Bush administration’s architects of that disaster, is now at the center of American policymaking as Mr. Trump’s national security adviser.

Qassem Soleimani, the head of the branch of the Revolutionary Guards that carries out operations outside Iran’s borders, was singled out by Pompeo as a top troublemaker in the Middle East.

“We are going to do everything we possibly can”, Johnson said of protecting European companies.

“It is America’s hope that our labors toward peace and security will bear fruit for the long-suffering people of Iran”, Pompeo said.

As tough USA sanctions kick in later this year, the global economy will have to brace itself for more instability and shock. “They know where we stand”.

In reality, there is no choice – European companies can not afford to forsake the U.S. market.

The 2015 nuclear agreement was underwritten by the assumption that the world would have no choice but to deal with the clerical regime for years or perhaps even decades to come.

Trump’s actions have also pushed Iran to further strengthen its alliances with China and Russian Federation.

Pompeo’s threat to “crush” Iran with sanctions has sparked widespread fears, particularly among anyone with a business linked to the outside world. Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the European Union, explained that Europeans will remain committed to “full and effective implementation” of the JCPOA so long as Iran upholds its commitments.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that the United States’ foreign policy is “imprisoned by delusions and failed policies”.

In his first speech as secretary of state, Pompeo called for the Iranian people to oppose their government.