How U.S. Sanctions Affect Europe’s Leverage in the Iran Deal Dispute Resolution Mechanism

The American withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018 has not prevented Washington from influencing the future of the agreement. Quite the opposite. The impact of U.S. sanctions measures reimposed after the U.S.’s withdrawal from the deal has been key to the current dispute between Iran and the European parties to the JCPOA as it has frustrated European efforts to provide Iran with the economic benefits Tehran expected to receive under the deal. U.S. sanctions are also bound to have an important influence on the dispute resolution mechanism (DRM) process triggered by the U.K., Germany and France (the E3) in January....