Publication

This brief highlights Iran’s increasing strategic significance in the conflict-driven Middle East and points out that despite years of sanctions, Iranian capabilities and influence in the region have grown in strength. Having acknowledged this, the author contends that Europe should use this strength and the opportunities created by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to further its own interests in the regions. He also provides recommendations how the EU can increase engagement with Iran, including the suggestion that Europeans should establish the formal and political structures necessary to normalize relations with Iran.