On February 14, the United States and Poland held a conference in Warsaw with more than 50 countries to discuss security issues in the Middle East. Key topics included increasing stability in Iran and de-escalating conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
Before the conference began, Israel took a strong stance against the regime in Iran. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on February 13 that the upcoming meeting would give Arab countries the opportunity to “advance the common interest of war with Iran.” The United States shared a similar sentiment, and sought to use the meeting to pressure Tehran to change its “behavior in the region,” according to CNN.
The White House looked to push Iran to decrease tensions in the region. In a speech to conference attendees, Vice President Mike Pence urged members of the European Union to leave the Iran Nuclear Deal. The United States leaving the Iranian Nuclear Deal has been a point of tension between the US and its allies since the US withdrew in May of 2018. Some European countries have maintained that Iran has been compliant with the terms of the deal, and declined to send senior officials to the conference in protest of the resolution.
With little coordination between countries regarding policies towards Iran, it is still unclear whether this conference will result in definitive action taken towards Iran or any change of policy surrounding the Iranian government.
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Nene Narh-Mensah of Montgomery Blair High School