Poland is playing the "bad cop" role in talks between Iran and Europe aimed at salvaging the international nuclear deal after the US exit because of the long-standing desire in Warsaw to build closer security ties to Washington, says a lawmaker.
Soon after Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the accord in early May, European states have been scrambling to ensure Iran gets enough economic benefits to convince it to stay in the agreement.
The European Commission, the EU executive, has proposed a series of measures that include banning EU-based firms from complying with the revived US sanctions.
However, Poland's Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz recently said Warsaw—a staunch ally of Washington—had not decided yet whether to back the ban, potentially complicating a decision that needs unanimous backing from the EU's 28 members, according to Reuters.
He says that the European Union should pay more heed to US security concerns linked to Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Tehran and six world powers, which is formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
US-Poland Ties
Lawmaker Yahya Kamalipour is of the opinion that Poland's embrace of Trump’s visibly irresponsible and dangerous anti-Iran policy and the close bilateral political and trade links is the reason why it is out of step with other EU countries as the bloc decides how to address the deepening US hostility against Iran and its economic interests.
"While the French played the role of bad cop in talks culminating in the JCPOA, today, after Trump's withdrawal from the deal, Poland has taken up the same role," he said in an interview with ICANA published on Tuesday.
US Military Presence
Kamalipour, a member of Majlis Judicial and Legal Affairs Commission, added that Poland's continued push for a permanent US military base on its soil shows their "strong and close affinity".
Poland's Ministry of Defense has offered the US financial support in the range of $1.5 billion to $2 billion for the deployment of a permanent US armored division in the country, according to a ministry proposal reported by Polish media.
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Monday that he has held talks with US officials about having thousands of American troops permanently stationed as a deterrent to Russia, the AP reported.
The Kremlin has said such a decision would harm the overall atmosphere on the continent.
The push dates back to Poland's entry into NATO in 1999 but has taken on added urgency in the wake of Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region four years ago, according to Politico Europe.
Poland currently hosts US armed forces and NATO units, who are stationed in the country on a rotational basis, moving between Poland and three Baltic states to the north.
UN Resolution
Kamal Dehqani, deputy chairman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, argues that the statement by Poland's chief diplomat runs counter to the United Nations resolution that underpins the historic nuclear agreement.
"The statement by Poland's foreign minister about the JCPOA violates and undermines Security Council Resolution 2231," the MP from Taft and Meibod said in remarks carried by ICANA on Monday.
He called on the Europeans to avoid making politically-motivated decisions and maintain their unity in the face of US arrogance and bullying.
New Challenges
Lawmaker Ardeshir Nourian says the stance adopted by Warsaw has its roots in its close relations with Washington and could complicate the situation surrounding the fate of the nuclear pact.
Since the EU is an integrated entity, decisions by each member can affect other members, ICANA on Monday quoted the Shahr-e-Kord legislator as saying.
US Pawn
Alireza Ebrahimi, another member of parliament, said the United States is using Poland as a "pawn" to create obstacles in the path of EU-Iran talks so that the nuclear deal will collapse.
Poland is trying to wield influence over Britain, France and Germany—the remaining participants in the agreement along with Russia and China—to serve Washington's interests, he said, ICANA reported on Tuesday.
Differing Views
Warsaw has been at loggerheads with Brussels since the right-wing Law and Justice party came to power in 2015 over issues ranging from the rule of law, energy policy and logging in an ancient forest, according to Reuters.
For decades, the US and Poland have maintained close ties. The Polish people are widely viewed as being positively inclined toward Americans, and many Americans trace their ancestry to Poland.
Nationalist Policies
The ruling party in Poland has called on the country to "rise from its knees"—a phrase that carries echoes of Trump's "Make America Great Again".
Poland's nationalist government has also spurned calls for European nations to welcome Muslim asylum seekers, just as Trump has sought to halt the flow of Syrian refugees to America.
Ideological Affinities
Jacek Kucharczyk, president of the Institute of Public Affairs, a Warsaw think tank, once said the US and Polish governments share remarkably similar views on various issues.
"There is a lot of this what I would call ideological affinities between the Law and Justice party in Poland and Mr. Trump, not only in terms of ideology and political worldview but also some of the methods of doing politics are strikingly similar to my mind."