A GREAT START – AT 1:13 P.M. ET:  Richard Grenell, whose confirmation as ambassador to Germany was held up by the Democrats for months, has now made his initial statement after taking his post in Berlin.   He has impeccable foreign-policy credentials, and Germany is one of the most critical nations in international diplomacy.

But if the Germans thought they were getting a marshmallow in striped pants, someone who'd toe the international line and kind of wink at President Trump, they were wrong.  Grenell is all-in on Trump's confrontation with Iran.  German industrialists, who do a land-office business with Tehran, will not love him.  From the Jerusalem Post:   

Richard Grenell, the newly confirmed US ambassador to Germany, said in an exclusive interview with Fox News on Thursday that German companies should stop trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran because Tehran sponsors terrorism.

When asked by Fox News' Martha MacCallum on her show "The Story with Martha MacCallum" about the Iran nuclear deal, Grenell, a seasoned foreign policy expert, said Iran is a "state-sponsor of terrorism, they spend billions of dollars to spread terrorism around the world. Why would a country want to do business with them? So I think it is going to be incumbent on me to explain to German businesses that they do not want to do business inside of Iran. It is just not right."

Grenell said that "there is room for German companies to stop doing business inside of Iran. We can't have that. You look at what Iran does. Their human rights records."

The European Union extended its human rights sanctions on Iran last month but declined to impose new penalties on the regime for widespread repression of civil liberties, according to human rights groups.

Grenell slammed Iran for destabilizing Syria. Iran is the main financial sponsor of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

COMMENT:  That is very tough stuff, a direct slam at Germany's trade policies.  This is not a guy who'll be rolled.

He also is unlikely to get what we want.  Germany's trade with Iran is the main reason the German government supports the nuclear deal with Tehran.  But Grenell can start the process of making it clear that Germany's greatest protector, the United States, is very displeased, and it may have some effect.  It certainly is sending the message to the entire world that there's a new mood in Washington.

May 5, 2018