U.S., allies must stand in united opposition to Iran's bad behavior

"The Trump administration is meeting in Warsaw today with leaders from dozens of countries at a critical moment in the effort to stop Iran's dangerous behavior. Tehran's support for terrorism and its illegal missile development program are top priorities, but the people coming to Warsaw will face headwinds. The effort to make real and sustainable progress on these matters has been impaired by the European Union's stubborn adherence to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – a nuclear framework which didn't make sense when it was signed and doesn't make sense today.

Since President Trump's decision last May to withdraw from the JCPOA, his administration has embarked on a maximum pressure campaign against Iran, re-imposing and strengthening economic sanctions to hold Iran accountable for its unwillingness to abide by international laws and norms. The regime in Tehran has been implicated in at least four assassinations or bombings in Europe since 2015 alone – the year in which the JCPOA came into being. And last August, the U.S. arrested two Iranian nationals – who allegedly received intelligence training from Iran – for spying on regime dissidents in New York and a Jewish community center in Chicago.

But bureaucrats in London, Paris and Berlin are still determined to preserve a channel for international business with Iran. Through the creation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called "INSTEX," they think they have fashioned an alternative payment channel with the express objective of circumventing U.S. sanctions against those who do business with the extremist regime in Tehran...

Iran must be forced to abandon its nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile program, and support for terrorism. Europeans behind the SPV must shut it down. Allies don't help adversaries gain strength. Allies stick together to defeat their common enemies. The historic meeting in Poland this month is a chance to reset, build consensus and demonstrate to Iran that their unacceptable behavior carries uncompromising consequences."