US Pressures EU To Ditch Iran At Mideast Conference

US Vice President Mike Pence has urged America's European allies to join it in withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, at a Mideast summit in Poland. European signatories to the 2015 deal have sought to dodge US sanctions through a direct payment scheme meant to preserve business with Iran.

Speaking at the conference in Warsaw, attended by Israel and senior Arab leaders, Pence accused Iran of being the "greatest threat to peace and security in the Middle East."

The US Vice President lamented that France , Germany and Britain had created a special financial mechanism to sidestep American sanctions.

"It's an ill-advised step that will only strengthen Iran, weaken the EU and creates still more distance between Europe and the United States," Pence said.

Last November, President Donald Trump re-imposed full US sanctions on Iran, putting a further strain on the country's already weakened economy.

"The time has come for our European partners to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and join with us as we bring the economic and diplomatic pressure necessary to give the Iranian people, the region and the world the peace, security and freedom they deserve," Pence added.

Ever widening rift

As Iran's clerical state marks 40 years since the overthrow of the pro-US shah, Pence vowed maximum pressure while not explicitly urging regime change.

The Europeans, including summit host Poland, have up till now shown no sign of rejecting the 2015 accord negotiated under former US president Barack Obama.

Most are intent on trying to salvage the deal and find ways to compensate for Washington's absence in an effort to keep Tehran in the deal.

Pence though insists US sanctions "will get tougher still" unless Iran "changes its dangerous and destabilising behaviour."

EU officials say although they acknowledge concerns about Tehran, they believe the deal, with which the Islamic Republic has complied, is working and that the clerical state is not the only problematic actor in the region.

Still, in a sign of growing divisions between the US and the European Union, both France and Germany opted against sending their top diplomats to the Warsaw conference.