Cornelius Adebahr looks at the three apexes of the triangle—Iran, the US and the EU—by analyzing the implications of the renewed Iran-US hostility for the EU-U.S. relationship. In particular, the author explores the possible actions that the EU could take in order to “protect” the much-suffered and hardly-awaited deal. Indeed, while the Europeans have made it clear that they would not reopen the nuclear file or embark on new sanctions—unless triggered by Iranian noncomplianc—it would not be easy for them to resist a U-turn in Washington’s Iran policy.

This chapter is part of a report published by the Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale.