Whatever the wisdom or folly of Washington’s approach, it has pursued a determined line in the last month — cast public blame on Tehran and step up sanctions, all in co-ordination with European partners, Canada, and other countries. Today the European Union will consider the widest sanctions in its history upon Iran, including a cut-off of oil imports — Britain has declared, in the light of Tuesday’s events, that it will be calling for those measures, and France and Italy are signalling that they are on-board.
