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Iran protests: EU treads carefully as Trump lashes out

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Daphné Benoit, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/overseas/01/03/010318-iran.jpg"/><figcaption>Opponents of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hold a protest outside the Iranian embassy in Rome on Tuesday. If US President Donald Trump has wasted no time in offering vocal support to Iran&#x27;s anti-government protesters, Europe&#x27;s governments are treading a much more delicate diplomatic line. Tony Gentile, Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>If US President Donald Trump has wasted no time in offering vocal support to Iran&#x27;s anti-government protesters, Europe&#x27;s governments are treading a much more delicate diplomatic line.European leaders have largely stuck to bland expressions of concern as the demonstrations have spiraled into unrest that has left at least 21 people dead -- far from Trump&#x27;s outspoken tweets against a &quot;brutal and corrupt&quot; regime.Trump, who considers the Islamic Republic his enemy No. 1 in the Middle East, on Wednesday promised unspecified support for Iranians trying to &quot;take back&quot; their government -- ignoring warnings that his intervention could backfire.In contrast, the European Union -- which has been normalizing ties with Tehran since the nuclear deal sealed in 2015 -- issued a carefully worded statement mourning the loss of life and calling for &quot;all concerned to refrain from violence&quot;.Berlin called for the regime to respond to the protests &quot;through dialogue&quot;, urging Tehran to &quot;respect freedom of assembly and expression&quot;.French President Emmanuel Macron, a key defender of the historic Iranian nuclear deal in the face of Trump&#x27;s opposition, telephoned his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani calling for &quot;restraint&quot;.A visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to Tehran was due in the coming days but has been put back due to the delicacy of the situation.Britain&#x27;s reaction, meanwhile, has been limited to a call for &quot;meaningful debate&quot; over the protesters&#x27; complaints, with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson saying: &quot;The UK is watching events in Iran closely.&quot;Protests over high living costs and other economic problems started on December 28 before turning against the regime as a whole. But on Wednesday, as tens of thousands of regime supporters rallied, analysts said Europe was banking on the anti-government protests coming to little.&quot;The European position is certainly less advantageous in terms of public opinion, but it is wiser,&quot; said Francois Nicoullaud, a former French ambassador to Iran.&quot;What is happening in Iran is an expression of deep suffering but without a structure or program, its chances of success are very limited,&quot; he added.&quot;In a serious clash with the regime, it would be crushed.&quot;<div> &#x27;Oil on the fire&#x27;</div> The EU regards the hard-won nuclear deal as the best chance of stopping Tehran from getting its hands on a nuclear bomb -- unlike Trump, who has left the accord&#x27;s fate up to Congress.Some have warned his rhetoric on the protests could backfire by lending ammunition to Iranian hardliners looking for evidence that the West is out to get them. &quot;It would be unwise for the West, and especially for President Trump, to egg on the protesters, as this could rally the hardliners,&quot; Britain&#x27;s Times newspaper wrote on Monday.&quot;Better to wait and watch a flawed regime unravel in its own contradictions.&quot;Thierry Coville, an Iran specialist at French think-tank Iris, said Europe&#x27;s business interests were at play, as well as concerns that Tehran should be handled carefully due to its involvement in Syria, Yemen and beyond.&quot;Before the economic sanctions against Iran, the EU was this country&#x27;s most important commercial partner,&quot; he said.&quot;And on a diplomatic level, Iran is a key player in multiple regional crises. All this contributes to the idea in Europe that we need to maintain normalized relations with Tehran,&quot; he added.&quot;The European reaction must be seen in this context.&quot;In his view, he added, the best way to support Iranian civil society activists is &quot;to try to improve the economy -- not to throw oil on the fire.&quot;

Protests over high living costs and other economic problems started on December 28 before turning against the regime as a whole.

Protests over high living costs and other economic problems started on December 28 before turning against the regime as a whole.

Iran protests: EU treads carefully as Trump lashes out

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Iran protests: EU treads carefully as Trump lashes out

Daphné Benoit,

Agence France-Presse

Published January 04, 2018 04:45 AM PHT

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Iran protests

European Union

Donald Trump

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