Frustrated European allies warn Pompeo against US-Iran escalation
European foreign ministers did little to hide their distress that Secretary of State Pompeo abruptly decided to consult them on rising Iran tensions, which they had warned would be a consequence of quitting the nuclear deal.
WASHINGTON — While Secretary of State Mike Pompeo may have been hoping that a hastily arranged stop in Brussels today would allow for photos and headlines showing American and European unity and joint resolve in the face of rising tensions with Iran, European allies did not seem interested in playing along.
“We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident, with an escalation that is unintended really on either side,” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said as he arrived at a meeting in Brussels with his French and German counterparts and the EU foreign policy chief today.
“The American position to increase pressure and sanctions [on Iran] doesn’t suit us,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said frankly as he arrived for the meeting.
Pompeo at the last minute decided to fly to Brussels, scrapping earlier announced plans for a visit to Moscow, where he had been due to meet US Embassy staff and business leaders. Pompeo’s eleventh-hour Brussels stopover was made en route to his first visit as secretary of state to Russia, where Pompeo is scheduled to meet with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Sochi tomorrow.
