Warsaw conference exposed transatlantic split over Iran
A look back at the US-led gathering in Poland, where Washington pressed European states over sanctions and the nuclear deal.
What did Washington want from Europe in Warsaw? On 14 February 2019, the second day of the conference hosted by Poland and the United States, the answer was plain: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accused European Union members of trying to break U.S. sanctions against Iran, and called on the EU to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
A conference with a stated agenda
The meeting, held on 13 and 14 February 2019, was officially framed around terrorism and extremism, missile development and proliferation, maritime trade and security, and threats posed by proxy groups across the region. Earlier in February, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said its purpose was to focus on Iran's influence and terrorism in the region.
Where the friction lay
European objections to that purpose were significant. As a result, the United States was forced to backtrack on plans to build a global coalition against Iran. Pence's remarks on 14 February set the American position against the European one: Washington sought an EU exit from the nuclear agreement, and accused some members of undermining its sanctions.
The episode shows how a conference convened around regional security became a venue for open disagreement between allies over how to deal with Iran.
