The deadline for implementation of U.S. sanctions on Iran is just days away, and the Trump administration is having second thoughts about how hard to press the Islamic Republic. More accurately, there seems to be disagreement from within the Trump administration. According to the Wall Street Journal , Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin is leaning towards a more cautious approach, which would mean refraining from punishing the European Union for its efforts at keeping business ties alive with Tehran. One of the key issues is the use of Swift, a financial-messaging service that is critical to global finance. Swift helps process international financial payments, and the cooperation of Swift during the prior round of Iran sanctions between 2012 and 2016 was critical in isolating Tehran. This time around, Europe is resisting the U.S.’ “maximum pressure” campaign. The EU is forbidding European companies from complying with U.S. sanctions, although the […]