| المستخلص: |
Iran has been witnessing escalating tension and international disputes along with the parties of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), namely the P5+1, after the United States had withdrawn itself from the nuclear agreement and many sanctions had been subsequently imposed on Iran. As a result of these sanctions, tens of French, German and Danish companies, and most recently Chinese and Dutch ones, decided to suspend economic cooperation with Iran. In addition, these sanctions also sparked off growing unrest and protests that were held in Tehran following the rising inflation which has hit 283 per cent. They also led to the deterioration of the Iranian currency against the US dollar, the increase in the prices of essential goods, and the decrease of Iran’s oil exports to reach 1.5 million barrels a day in September 2018. Iran has then become obliged to continue trading with the European Union under the European law, provided that Tehran remains fully committed to all the obligations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The other option available to Iran is to accept the United States’ new conditions or sign a new treaty with it. Responding to the sanctions, the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued statements in strong terms threatening that his country will likely continue its uranium enrichment program. Also, he threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz harmly affecting one-third of the world's oil exports. Conceited and challenging as the Iran officials appear to be, Tehran will unlikely carry out its threats. This is because Iran finds itself obliged to negotiate with the United States and pursuing diplomatic solutions, especially amid the current Iranian regime being subject to severe economic and political pressures. The US has continued to press on Iran by imposing more sanctions and hindering Tehran’s oil exports in an attempt to force Iran to apply Washington’s conditions and change the Iranian behavior in the region.
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