The Obstacles and Challenges Facing the Islamic Republic of Iran-‎EU Relations

Due to several factors, Iran-EU relations are critical, fragile and challenging. These challenges are strengthened and multiplied in recent years, getting increasingly difficult to see a perspective of sustainable relations between the two sides. Iran’s civil nuclear program is one of the most important issues which have influenced the political and economic relations as well as the other ties between the two parties. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the EU belong to two different civilizations and cultures and have their own distinctive social values. This makes the extensive relations quite complicated and shaky and creates a loophole which prevents conception of any strategic relations between two sides. The present article aims to study the challenges and obstacles in Iran-EU relations with particular focus on underlying causes of mutual grievances in recent years, including the EU position and practice with regard to the Iranian civil nuclear program and imposition of unjustified extensive unilateral sanctions with dire ramifications on human and humanitarian rights of the Iranian nation.