European allies have expressed concern that the United States is prioritising a rapid, high-profile agreement with Iran over a thorough and sustainable deal, warning that an inexperienced American team may be rushing into a flawed accord.
Diplomats with extensive experience in Tehran believe that Washington's eagerness to secure a diplomatic victory for President Donald Trump could result in a superficial agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief, leading to protracted and technically intricate follow-up discussions.
“The concern isn’t that there won’t be an agreement,” said a senior European diplomat. “It’s that there will be a bad initial agreement that creates endless downstream problems.”
The White House dismissed these criticisms, with spokesperson Anna Kelly stating that President Trump has a proven track record of achieving good deals and will only accept one that puts America first.
Diplomats from France, Britain and Germany, who began negotiating with Iran in 2003 and helped secure the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, say they have been sidelined. Trump withdrew from that accord in 2018, calling it “horribly one-sided.”
Talks resumed in Islamabad earlier this month, focusing on the familiar trade-off of nuclear restrictions for economic relief. However, diplomats warn that deep mistrust and sharply different negotiating styles raise the risk of a fragile framework neither side can sustain politically.
