Jerome Hughes
Press TV, Brussels
EU legislators spent more than an hour discussing Iran during proceedings in the European Parliament on Wednesday. The plight of the 2015 nuclear deal dominated the debate.
It was made clear, the future of the agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, depends on next month's US election.
The EU has failed in its obligation under the JCPOA to facilitate trade with Iran in defiance of US sanctions, the debate heard.
Trump pulled the US out of the international agreement in 2018 despite it having been underpinned by the United Nations. Since then his administration has done all in its power to try and cripple Iran's economy.
Experts say the EU really wants to save the JCPOA as it is a standout achievement for the bloc.
It is clear that many EU lawmakers would like to see Trump lose the forthcoming election. There is a great deal of cynicism when it comes to his Iran agenda.
The European Commission has just launched two online platforms designed to support small to medium sized businesses in the EU that wish to trade with Iran.
The web pages are called 'Due Diligence Help desk' and 'Sanctions Tool'. However, the foreign policy chief for the 27-nation bloc, Josep Borrell, has just told lawmakers that increasing trade with Iran is difficult because US sanctions are "very powerful."