EU Backs US Economic Pressure Campaign Against Iran

The European Union announced it will cooperate with the United States, G7 members, and international partners to maintain economic pressure on Iran. In a statement released during a G20 meeting, the EU expressed support for Operation Economic Outcast, a US-led initiative designed to end Iran's destabilizing activities and force good-faith peace negotiations to ensure regional stability.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei responded by accusing the EU of surrendering its sovereignty to American coercion. Baghaei claimed the EU is violating its own Blocking Statute and acting as an accessory to what he termed economic terrorism and lawless conduct by Washington.

The diplomatic rift follows a maximum pressure campaign launched by US President Donald Trump to sever Tehran's financial channels. This economic escalation coincides with military conflict, including US strikes on Larak Island that reportedly killed two people. Iran subsequently launched retaliatory attacks on US force sites in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, asserting that the US violated the June Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding regarding sanctions relief and the cessation of military operations.