French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said it would be unrealistic to launch a military operation to force open the Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump challenged allies to work towards reopening it. In unusually strong criticism, Macron accused Trump of constantly contradicting himself on the Iran war and of undermining faith in the NATO military alliance.
Forget about Trump. Europe must pursue a deal with Iran without the US.
That wouldn’t solve anything - Europe doesn’t actually get much oil through Hormuz, the issue is that the closure raises global oil prices regardless of where they come from. This isn’t a situation individual countries can carve out exceptions for themselves from - hence why the worst affected by this will be poor countries that had fuck all to do with Trump’s decision to fuck everyone over. And why America as a whole needs to start sorting its shit out for everyone’s sake and stop just telling the rest of the world to ignore Trump if he’s being a pain like he’s a doddery old relative and not the commander in chief of the most powerful military in the world.
Europe should get together with Russia and China to negotiate a peace deal. Russia could agree to store and process Iran’s enriched uranium, something which it has already suggested. The uranium could be given to Iran as needed for peaceful purposes. In return, Europe would end all sanctions. The strait of Hormuz would be opened as soon as the US and Israel stop bombing Iran. If Iran agrees to such a deal, Trump might be willing to follow since there would be no more uranium to bomb and Europe, Russia, and China have left him isolated.
Where would that leave Ukraine?
This is what Europe should propose to Putin. Russia will withdraw from all land it seized from Ukraine after the 2022 invasion. NATO would be dissolved and replaced with a European alliance. Ukraine and Canada would be permitted to join but not the US. All sanctions against Russia will be lifted. Russia will not be required to pay reparations. If Putin doesn’t accept the proposal, the UK and France would send troops to Ukraine.
You’re talking about possible escalation in Ukraine and making further enemies, via USA exclusion. Not a great outcome.unless everyone goes along with it. Which they won’t.
Should we though?
Don’t get me wrong, America is absolutely fucked. They’re speed running the collapse of western civilisation.
But lets not forget that Iran are also just as shitty. I’d rather we (europe) at least tried to take the moral high ground.
We (Europeans) have absolutely no moral high ground to stand on, we colonized half the world, America acting this way is just because they learned it from watching us. I doubt they’ll be able to manage the decline of American empire with anywhere near the stability of the managed decline of the British empire, though…
At the end of the day, all states are shitty.
Basically Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan will need to cut deals with Iran and Russia. They will probably end up trading their gold for Chinese yuan to buy their natural gas and oil.
The whole world ignoring Trump would be a moral high ground
Don’t have to help Iran, just have to not hurt them. Iran would take a “don’t fuck with me, I don’t fuck with you” deal letting oil through to Europe in exchange for them stopping all cooperation with the US on this dumb war
That would be one of the few ways to stop Iran from blowing up Europe’s oil supply production in the gulf even if Trump escalates bombing.