“The US will consider sanctions on those entities participating in these tactics,” Richard Grenell said, adding the French and German activities “would not be a smart move.”
When asked for specifics, the Foreign Ministry declined to respond.
When asked for a specific reaction to Ambassador Grenell’s comment, the unnamed official referred the Post to entries on the German Foreign Ministry website. The Postfound no entries on the current main page of the website that responds to Grenell’s comment, and the matter of Israel’s security.
When the Post pressed for an explicit response to Grenell’s comment and the apparent disconnect between Maas’s comment about Auschwitz and his conduct to boost economic support for a regime in Tehran that is the largest state sponsor of lethal antisemitism and Holocaust denial, Maas’s unnamed official did not respond.
An official of France’s Foreign Ministry wrote the Post by email: “The French and Europeans are acting in strict compliance with their international and European commitments and in accordance with their national laws. The commitments made within the framework of the Iran nuclear deal brokered in Vienna were endorsed by the UN Security Council in its resolution 2231 and therefore apply to all member states. The Europeans are continuing to implement their obligations in this regard.
“The work currently being carried out on the Special Purpose Vehicle is aimed at establishing an economic sovereignty tool for the European Union beyond the Iranian case. It is therefore a long-term task that will protect European firms from the effect of unlawful extraterritorial sanctions in the future.
“Regarding your last question, France always condemns in the strongest possible terms any initiative that fosters racism and antisemitism, wherever it may be.”
The Post asked the French government is Iran’s regime is antisemitic.
According to the WSJ article, “The steps by Europe’s most powerful countries are part of their campaign to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal after President Trump withdrew the US in May. Their goal is to help European companies continue some business activity with Iran despite sweeping new US sanctions on the country and any company that does business with it.”
The WSJ added that “France or Germany will host the corporation that would handle the payments channel, the diplomats said. If France hosts it, a German official will head the corporation and vice versa. Both countries will help fund the corporation.”
