America’s Allies Step Up Pressure on Iran. They Deserve Support.

President Donald Trump doesn’t want to float anybody’s foreign policy anymore.  Washington’s quest to better balance foreign policy priorities and have allies do more is reflected everywhere from seeking greater defense spending with NATO members in Europe to growing security cooperation with Saudi Arabia. But there’s one issue allies have not needed a push on: Iran.

In 2025, America’s trans-Atlantic partners proved that they could do an about-face on Iran policy and enact proposals they had rejected during the first Trump administration. Key among them was “snapback,” or the restoration of UN penalties and prohibitions on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear, missile, and military programs. The move dealt a final death blow to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the UN Security Council Resolution enshrining it.

Since snapback in late September, members of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partnership of Anglosphere nations have increasingly embraced other legal, political, and economic tools of statecraft to counter Tehran. If supported and better coordinated, these measures could serve as the building blocks of a more multilateral version of the administration’s maximum pressure policy, which in turn would free up time and resources for Washington to address other matters. It could also extend the political shelf life of President Trump’s use of force against Iran’s nuclear program by broadening the constituency to counter non-nuclear challenges emanating from Tehran, be they sanctions busting, state propaganda, or human rights violations.

Ottawa Ups Scrutiny Over Financial Transactions With Tehran

The Financial Action Task Force — an international anti-money laundering body — recently decided to keep Iran on its black list of high-risk jurisdictions after Tehran failed to unconditionally ratify a UN convention countering terror finance. Following that decision, Canada has revised rules governing transactions with entities or persons in Iran. Due to risks of sanctions evasion and threats to the integrity of the financial system, Canada has adopted enhanced reporting requirements governing transactions with Iran regardless of Canadian dollar value. Previously, the threshold for reporting was 10,000 Canadian dollars. Other requirements include enhanced due diligence to verify everything from client identity, the purpose of the transaction, beneficial ownership, and even an evaluation of UN sanctions adherence by the foreign financial institutions involved in each transaction.

Canberra Counters Iranian Propaganda

The Australian government finalized an earlier notice from its Attorney-General’s Department stating that Press TV is an official foreign government agent. The Islamic Republic has condemned the move.

Founded in 2007 in Tehran, Press TV is an Iranian state-linked English-language broadcaster. It has broadcast false confessions by anti-government dissidents on air and been sanctioned by the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia. Sanctioned by Canberra in 2023, the entity had reportedly conducted interviews in Australia as late as February of this year.

Keeping the Spotlight on the Islamic Republic’s Crimes at Home

Canada recently facilitated an effort to adopt a new resolution at the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee which shed light on ongoing human rights violations in Iran. The resolution, which passed with a vote of 79 in favor, 28 against, and 63 abstentions, emphasized the spike in executions since the 12-Day War with Israel and the role of the state’s security and judiciary apparatus in destroying evidence, enforcing disappearances, and jailing protesters and journalists. Statements by other Five Eyes members, like the United Kingdom and United States, were offered, but Canada was the prime target of the regime’s ire following the vote.

With more allied governments willing to invest in countering non-nuclear challenges posed by the Islamic Republic, like terrorism, corrupt foreign money flows, and trans-national repression, it would be a strategic and moral own goal for Washington to not roll up its sleeves and aid this effort. This can be done through diplomatic support and intelligence sharing or leading by example when it comes to things like human rights designations and Magnitsky sanctions. To date under the second Trump administration, none of these penalties have been levied against violators in Iran. An America First foreign policy ought not to look like America last.

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow and senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ (FDD’s) Iran Program. For more analysis from Behnam and the Iran Program, please subscribe HERE. Follow Behnam on X @therealBehnamBT. Follow FDD and the Iran Program on X @FDD and @FDD_Iran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.