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Leaders from major European powers rallied behind Greenland Tuesday, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people, following a renewed threat by US President Donald ‌Trump to take over the Danish territory. Trump ‍has in recent days repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, an idea first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency, arguing it is vital for the US military, and that Denmark has not done enough to protect it. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on Monday dismissed concerns about ‍Danish sovereignty. “You can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else,” Miller told CNN. “But we live in a world, in the real world, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.” A US military operation over the weekend that seized the leader of Venezuela has rekindled concerns that Greenland might face a similar scenario. Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States. “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on ‌matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” said a joint statement issued by the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark. The leaders said security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively with Nato allies, including the United States. “Nato has made clear that the ‍Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up,” ‌the statement said. “We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities, and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries.” The Netherlands also fully supports the joint statement, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters in Warsaw: “No member should attack or threaten another member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Otherwise, Nato would lose its meaning if conflict or mutual conflicts occurred within the alliance.” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the European leaders’ pledge of solidarity and renewed his call to the US for a “respectful dialogue”. “The dialogue must take place with respect for the fact that Greenland’s status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity,” he said on Facebook. To fend off US criticism over Greenland’s defence capabilities, Denmark last year pledged 42bn Danish crowns ($6.58bn) to boost its military ​presence in the Arctic. US Special Envoy Jeff ‌Landry, asked about the Europeans’ joint statement, told CNBC Tuesday: “Security should be a major concern for the United States.” Asked whether security should be handled in conjunction with Nato, he said: “I think we should ask the ‍Greenlanders.” Trump named Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, as his special envoy to Greenland last month, asking him to “lead the charge” for the island. Landry said on Tuesday that Trump was offering Greenland economic opportunities but he did not think the president would take it by force. “I think that the president supports an independent Greenland with economic ties and trade opportunities for the United States,” Landry said, adding that the US had more to offer than Europe. 

The move comes in response to the activation of the dispute resolution mechanism by the three European powers, known collectively as the "E3", which paves the way for the automatic reimposition of UN sanctions previously lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This diplomatic rupture follows the failure of a Russian-Chinese draft resolution at the UN Security Council aimed at delaying the reinstatement of sanctions for six months. The resolution fell short of the required votes, triggering the so-called snapback mechanism, which revives punitive measures linked to Iran's nuclear program. Iran, while reaffirming its commitment to the JCPOA, squarely blames the current crisis on the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the deal in 2018 and accuses European signatories of failing to uphold their obligations. Tehran insists it remains open to dialogue, provided sanctions are lifted. According to recent reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran's nuclear activities remain under surveillance. A new agreement between Iran and the IAEA was recently reached in Cairo, underscoring ongoing technical cooperation. In a related development, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani revealed in an interview with PBS that Iran had submitted proposals to avoid triggering the snapback clause. However, he warned that if sanctions are reinstated, Iran will respond by suspending cooperation with the IAEA, citing legislation passed by the Iranian parliament. All UN sanctions on Iran are set to be reimposed at midnight GMT, following the E3's formal activation of the 30-day mechanism, accusing Tehran of breaching the nuclear accord, a claim Iran vehemently denies.