European leaders have distanced themselves from President Trump and focused on placating Iran in the aftermath of a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general.
Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 2. Trump ordered the strike after Soleimani orchestrated a violent protest outside of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and following months of Iranian aggression in the Middle East.
European leaders responded to the attack by sidling closer to Iran, attempting to convince Iranian leadership to resist further aggression, according to Politico. Top European officials disagreed with Trump’s decision to kill Soleimani and have refused to take a hard stance against Iran.
“Frankly, the Europeans haven’t been as helpful as I wished that they could be,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said days after Soleimani’s death, acknowledging Europe’s cool response to Trump’s decision. “The Brits, the French, the Germans all need to understand that what we did, what the Americans did, saved lives in Europe as well.”
After the Jan. 2 strike, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell invited Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Brussels to discuss de-escalation and the future of the Iran nuclear deal. The United States placed sanctions on Zarif in July to send a message that Iran’s “reckless agenda” is “completely unacceptable.”
French President Emmanuel Macron called and spoke to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for about an hour on Tuesday, urging the Iranian leader to seek a diplomatic solution to tensions with the U.S. The French president also pleaded that Iran still abide by the 2015 nuclear deal.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow soon to discuss U.S. tensions with Iran. Putin and other top Russian officials are among the most vocal critics of the Jan. 2 strike, calling it a political assassination and an attempt to boost Trump’s reelection chances.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in contrast to other European leaders, has publicly defended Trump’s decision to kill Soleimani. He spoke with Rouhani over the phone for 20 minutes on Thursday, calling for Iran to cease hostilities after it fired ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases where American soldiers are stationed in response to Soleimani’s killing.
Johnson also said Britain remains committed to the Iran nuclear deal. On Wednesday, Trump called on Europe, China, and Russia to leave the deal and find a better solution, citing Iran’s multiple infractions.
