“Trump is literally pulling the tablecloth from under all of the settings on the table and hoping everything lands back in balance like magicians do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” said Jonathan Sacerdoti, a terrorism analyst in London.

The US has vowed to impose “the strongest” sanctions ever against Iran – a move that some say may be aimed at regime change. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday unveiled the new Iran policy, a week after the US pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Within hours, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani fired back at Pompeo asking, "Who are you to make decisions about Iran?”

Professor Doga Eralp from the School of International Service at the American University is doubtful about the effect of Trump’s “trick,” saying if it had worked, it would have worked earlier.

“I’m pretty clear that Secretary Pompeo is aware of that, so it’s not necessarily about forcing regime change in Iran, but rather to give a clear message to US allies in the region like Israel and Saudi Arabia that the US is firmly behind their policies and positions in the Middle East against Iran’s influence in the region,” he explained.

Although European leaders have been scrambling to save the deal after the Trump administration announced its withdrawal on May 8, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Sunday that the EU’s support for the deal is “not sufficient.”

The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini dismissed Pompeo’s speech as “irresponsible,” stressing “there’s no alternative” to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).

While the spats have continued, no sufficient solutions have emerged.

“Obviously, the EU finds itself between a rock and hard place. It has to emerge as the voice of reason in the international arena but also has to find some compromise with the US that it would still be able to protect the interests of the European companies in the US while still upholding the JCPoA. So obviously, the burden would fall on the shoulders of the prominent EU governance rather than Brussels,” Eralp added.

But not everyone is counting on the EU to salvage the deal. Ghanbar Naderi, a correspondent of Tehran-based Press TV, said Iran would rather turn to Russia and China than the West.

“We don’t trust the West, and we don’t trust the European Union, because they are going to do what America wants them to do. But China and Russia have independent policies, so we trust these two nations only.”

The EU, as the coordinator for the implementation of the JCPoA, is coordinating with Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany and the UK to hold a Joint Commission meeting in Vienna on May 25 to discuss relevant issues concerning the implementation of the JCPoA. 

“China will remain committed to preserving and implementing the JCPoA. Chinese Director-General Wang Qun of the Department of Arms Control of the Foreign Ministry will lead a delegation to the meeting,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang.