The growing tension between the United States and Iran following Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA), President Trump’s subsequent ‘maximum pressure’ campaign and Iran’s retaliatory “maximum resistance” have exacerbated the fragile economic, political and security dynamics in the region and beyond, including the South Caucasus.
With US diplomatic pressure mounting and sanctions aimed at strangling Iran’s economy, the South Caucasus countries - in particular direct neighbours Armenia and Azerbaijan - find themselves caught in the middle with the US pressuring  to cut important trade and economic ties with Iran. Meanwhile, the situation in the Persian Gulf remains tense and unpredictable with concerns about a likely further escalation. This roundtable, moderated jointly by Amanda Paul, EPC Senior Analyst, and Roxana Cristescu, Head of Eurasia Programme and EU Affairs at the Crisis Management Initiative, discussed the ongoing stand-off between the US and Iran, the political, security and economic impact on the region, and the prospects for a solution, including with regard to the role of the EU.