Iran and the EU: The Role of Geostrategic Factors in the Post-JCPOA Era

Abstract

Iran’s foreign relations with the European Union (EU) have always been accompanied by many vacillating. The JCPOA was a sign of Iran’s desire to starting détente in international relations. The agreement opened a new chapter in relations between the two sides. The post-JCPOA sphere created the conditions for Iran and the EU to revive ties based on mutual interests and needs. But with the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency and the withdrawal of the United States from the agreement, one obstacle after another became apparent. It will argue that the change in Iranian posture vis-à-vis the deal was brought about by a shift in perception about the European ability to keep the agreement alive. Iran is geostrategically and prestigiously important for the EU Common Foreign Security Policy (EU/CFSP). The present article, after examining the importance of the geopolitical variable, seeks to explain the Iran–EU relations in four areas: economic, energy, regional matters, and nuclear dossier. One of the most important issues in EU–Iran relations, is the necessity of making balance in foreign policy versus China, Russia, and United States. They need more to more.