Europe’s Iran Policy: From Sanctions to Handshakes

The meetings in New York between EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with discussions involving Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and President Masoud Pezeshkian, occurred less than a year after a brutal crackdown on protesters. With death tolls estimated by human rights groups to be in the thousands and a UN mission labeling the repression as crimes against humanity, these diplomatic encounters signal a return to normalcy that the regime has not earned.

While the EU has frozen the assets of the Guard Corps, it has stopped short of applying the same pressure to the political leadership that funds and justifies the force’s actions. This inconsistency sends a dangerous message to two distinct audiences: the security officers deciding whether to suppress dissent, who see a regime that remains internationally accepted, and the victims' families, who witness a Europe seemingly eager to move on. Diplomacy remains necessary, particularly regarding detained Europeans or de-escalation, but high-level photo opportunities without public conditions for reform effectively legitimize the state's conduct. A coherent strategy requires prioritizing technical channels over leader-level optics, elevating sanctions to the political chain of command, and providing genuine support to democratic opposition movements.