Bringing Iran back to the table

Iran, as pointed out by many involved in this briefing, is complicated. Internal political rivalries, regional meddling and an equivocating foreign policy – these factors come together as a tangled web of political machinations. However, Friends of Europe’s roundtable discussion revealed that the motives and mindset behind Iran’s actions are often simple, underwritten by a sense of pragmatism or a lack of viable options.

Taking place at the same time as the ongoing indirect talks between the United States and Iran in Vienna, the timely briefing placed heavy emphasis on the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as US President Biden takes steps to enter back into the nuclear deal abandoned by his predecessor.

Topics up for debate were not limited to the Iran nuclear deal, with speakers and participants also speculating and commenting on Iran’s upcoming presidential elections, its actions as a regional player, the foreign policy implications of Iran’s oscillation between the East and West, and the role of Iran in the Western Balkans.