U.S. threatened Europe with auto tariffs over Iran nuclear program, report says

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on European automobile imports if Britain, France and Germany do not formally accuse Iran of breaking the 2015 nuclear deal, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed European officials.

The three European countries triggered a dispute mechanism under the agreement on Tuesday, amounting to a formal accusation against Tehran of violating its terms and could lead to the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions lifted under the accord.

Iran has criticized that move, calling it a “strategic mistake.”

Though Trump has previously made threats to place such a duty on European automobile imports, the intent behind them was to receive better terms for Washington within the U.S.-European trade relationship, not to shift European foreign policy, according to the Post.

It was not clear if the threat was necessary since the Europeans had signaled an intention to trigger the dispute mechanism for weeks, the newspaper reported.

The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal, or JCPOA, in 2018. Washington has said its abandonment of the pact was part of a strategy intended to force Tehran to agree to a larger deal.

Iran, which denies its nuclear program is aimed at building a bomb, has gradually rolled back its commitments under the agreement since the U.S. withdrawal.

Russia, another signatory to the pact, has said it saw no grounds to trigger the dispute mechanism.