page_title: Iran–European Union relations
section_title: Iranian nuclear program
hierarchical_section_title: Iran–European Union relations / History / Iranian nuclear program
caption_attribution_description: From left to right, the foreign ministers from France, Britain, and Germany (Philippe Douste-Blazy, Jack Straw, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier respectively), and Javier Solana, European Union foreign policy chief, briefed the media after a meeting in Berlin.
context_page_description: Iran–European Union relations are the bilateral relations between Iran and the European Union. The EU is Iran's largest trading partner, along with China and the United Arab Emirates. Trade with Iran is subject to the general EU import regime and the EU supports the goal of Iranian accession to the World Trade Organization. The EU has accused and criticized Iran for human rights violations, which led to diplomatic tensions, but both sides aim at improving and normalizing relations.
  As of 2019, the Iran–EU trade relations are stained due to the sanctions re-imposed on Iran by the United States after the US unilateral withdrawal from the multinational Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement. The EU has, however, established a special Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges to enable EU–Iran trade bypassing the US sanctions. In fact, the EU were seen to be "urging Chinese and Russian counterparts to do more to support bilateral economic ties with Iran".
context_section_description: The EU supports the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force on 5 March 1970. Iran ratified this treaty assuring the international community that it will use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
  In 2003, it was discovered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran is conducting secret activities with nuclear materials. Iran's refusal to cooperate proactively with the IAEA and its resistance to report to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) led to a diplomatic effort by  the European council and its three members France, Germany and the United Kingdom to resolve this issue through negotiations. They were joined in 2004 by the EU High Representative, and thus offering support by all EU members. Subsequently, in 2005 and 2006, extensive proposals to facilitate peaceful nuclear energy usage were again presented to the Iranian authorities. Even with the support of China, Russia and the United States through these proposals, Iran could not be convinced to follow the requests by the IAEA. As a result, four resolutions (N° 1696, 1737, 1747 and 1803) were put in place by the United Nations Security Council: they demanded to suspend all Uranium-235 enrichment and heavy water activities and restricted acquisition of nuclear and ballistic materials by Iran. Those policies were reiterated in 2008 by the EU.
  The continuing refusal by Iranian authority to make clear declarations and to allow sufficient inspections of their nuclear facilities then convinced the EU to enforce additional sanctions on civilian goods and services such as financial activities and energy sector technologies. In 2012, an oil embargo and restrictive financial boycotts were enforced by the EU, in addition to UN sanctions against Iran. It was not until December 8, 2013, when Iranian authorities based on a historic deal reached in Geneva on November 24, 2013 with the so-called P5+1 group (Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, and Germany) allowed UN nuclear inspectors to visit a heavy water facility after announcing that plutonium enrichment has been suspended. The deal puts Uranium enrichment by Iran on hold for at least eight months, and is paving the way for direct talks between the US and the Islamic Republic. Additionally, Iran is required to dilute existing enriched Uranium stockpiles to a concentration of  20%. While the economic boycotts and material restriction are still in place, a step by step reduction of these embargoes by the EU will likely be implemented.
  In 2015, Iran reached the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement on the Iranian nuclear program in Vienna on 14 July, 2015, with the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States—plus Germany), and the European Union. This enabled Iran to normalize its trade relations with the EU. in 2019, United States unilaterally abandoned observing the agreement and unilaterally reimposed sanctions against Iran, which was described by then-British Ambassador to the United States Kim Darroch as "diplomatic vandalism". The EU established the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges to bypass the reimposed US sanctions.
caption: The foreign ministers from each of the EU three and former High Representative Javier Solana in 2006.
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