US slams Merkel-led German govt for failing to combat terrorism from Iran

The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed the Angela Merkel-led government in Germany for not doing enough to fight Islamic terrorism from Iran. Pompeo, during an interview with the German newspaper Bild, said that the "German government is disappointing" accusing them of not proposing any plan or alternative despite agreeing with the US that Iran should not be allowed to buy and sell weapons. 

Read: Rouhani Says US Cannot Impose Negotiations Or War On Iran Amid New Sanctions

When asked about the disputes with Europe about the nuclear deal, Pompeo said that the Europeans suggested it is important to stay in the deal, but the US took a different approach. "We're not going to send pallets of money to the Iranian regime, we're going to develop a system to ensure that Iran never has nuclear weapons," Pompeo was quoted as saying by Bild. 

Read: 'US Not In Position To Reimpose Iran Sanctions, Europe Won't Concur With Decision': Macron

Dispute between US and Europe

The United States under President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Obama-era nuclear deal in 2018, calling it "decaying and rotten". Other major parties of the deal, including Germany, urged the United States not to do so because it would jeopardize the efforts taken to bring Iran under an agreement. However, Washington did not listen and re-imposed pre-2015 sanctions on Iran. European countries argue that the United States is not in a position to sanction Iran using the 2015 deal because it had already withdrawn from it and have also warned that they would not concur with them. 

Read: Trump Signs Order To Restore UN Sanctions On Iran For 'role In Nuclear Escalation'

The United States recently imposed new sanctions on Iran and individuals and entities linked to the regime. The sanctions came after the Trump administration unsuccessfully moved to the United Nations to extend the arms embargo on Iran. The US was humiliated as it received only one vote in favour of its resolution as other members either abstained from voting or voted against it. In response, the US on August 20 triggered the snapback process under UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 2231, which became effective on September 20. 

Read: US Warns UN Member States Of 'consequences' After Re-imposing Sanctions On Iran