With every passing day, we get closer to May 12, 2018. That date is significant, of course, because this is when President Trump will determine whether he will continue providing economic sanctions relief to Iran under the nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. If Trump is not satisfied that the terms of the JCPOA can be strengthened to his liking, he has made it abundantly clear that he will walk away from the accord with no second thoughts.

The Europeans are certainly concerned about the prospect, which is why French, German, and British negotiators have been working with their American counterparts over the last month to find a compromise. The Trump administration has been unambiguous about what it hopes to achieve during the course of these negotiations: more restrictions on Tehran’s ballistic missile program; more power for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to prowl around Iran’s uranium enrichment and centrifuge facilities virtually unencumbered; and the elimination of the sunset provisions that allow the Iranians to produce and accumulate more enriched uranium in 8-13 years time. Meanwhile, just as those talks are progressing, a group of 500 European parliamentarians has released an open letter pleading for the U.S. Congress to save the agreement from Trump’s wrath.