The United States meant to isolate Iran. It looks increasingly isolated itself.
The Trump administration has spent years trying to convince U.S. allies that the international community needed to isolate Iran. But this week, as a series of provocations appeared to raise the possibility of conflict, it looks increasingly as if the United States itself may be increasingly isolated.
Britain, historically the United States’ closest ally, is openly balking at the prospect of a war with Iran. A British military commander undercut U.S. claims of increased activity by Tehran’s proxies Tuesday, telling reporters that there had been “no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq or Syria.”
Meanwhile, Spain announced Tuesday that it was pulling its frigate from a U.S.-led naval group that is headed for the Persian Gulf, telling reporters that the “U.S. government has taken a decision outside of the framework of what had been agreed with the Spanish Navy,”
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday that he should pursue a policy of “maximum restraint, avoiding any escalation on the military side,” she later told reporters.
The next day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the U.S. diplomat that he hopes the United States will not increase its military presence to push back on Iran, noting that “the region is overburdened with conflict as it is.”
Traditional U.S. allies such as Australia and Canada have remained quiet. Even Gulf Arab states that openly oppose Iran, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, seem cautious this week. Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu may be the only world leader who has proactively praised the Trump administration’s tough stance on Iran.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-united-states-meant-to-isolate-iran-it-looks-increasingly-isolated-itself/ar-AABpuAX?li=BBnbcA1
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