Sanctions against Iran crumble as America wrangles over the nuclear deal

EU government ministers and business leaders are racing to begin new era of cooperation with Tehran – regardless of what US and Israeli sceptics say

France, Germany and Italy are among EU countries acting as if sanctions have already been lifted, visiting Iran in search of potentially mouth-watering trade and financial deals. Photograph: SIPA/Rex Shutterstock

Simon Tisdall
Wednesday 5 August 2015 | http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/05/nuclear-deal-with-iran-europeans-scramble-for-persia

As debate rages among politicians and pundits in Washington over whether to endorse last month’s historic nuclear compromise with Iran, key European allies have already given their verdict: a resounding thumbs up.
Government ministers and business leaders in France, Germany, Italy and elsewhere in the EU are racing to open up a new era of diplomatic, trade, investment and possible future military cooperation with Tehran, regardless of what American and Israeli sceptics say.
While Americans argue over timescales, technicalities and Iranian trustworthiness, behind their backs the scramble for Persia, recalling Europe’s 19th-century scramble for Africa, has already begun. The cohesion of the international sanctions regime isolating Iran is crumbling by the day.