The Iranians apparently believe they can flip the Europeans against the Americans by applying pressure. Will it work?
No. First of all, unlike any of his predecessors, Trump doesn’t care what they think. Second, several of their leaders (presumably including Boris Johnson) are friends of his. Third, they are far more dependent on American goodwill than Iran’s. Fourth, they have no reason to trust a country with a history of lying on nuclear issues and committing terrorist acts on their soil. Finally, they are largely ineffectual, anyway.
In the end, they will wring their hands about Trump’s decision to scrap the nuclear agreement, and they will do their best to talk both sides out of war, but they won’t do anything meaningful to restrain Trump if and when he decides that war is necessary.
You would think that the Iranians would turn to Putin, their supposed ally, for support here, but they know he would sell them out in a heartbeat for something he really wants. They would be wiser to put their money on Xi. He needs their oil, and he’s much less dangerous as a friend.