The EU Is Only Too Happy to Appease Iran
Europe’s willingness to accommodate the Islamic Republic continues, and cold geopolitical and economic calculations go far to explain the motivations of its leaders.
European officials seem eager to buttress the regime’s position while turning a blind eye toward the Iranian democracy movement, even in the wake of the election of Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner involved in the execution of thousands of Iranian dissidents in the 1980s. The European Union has even suppressed demonstrations by Iranian democratic opposition activists at the behest of senior Iranian officials.
European officials have encouraged air travel to Iran and invited known regime apologists to speak before the European Parliament.
The EU has decided to ignore the regime’s human rights violations and regional expansionism, its support for terrorism and development of conventional military capabilities like long-range ballistic missiles, to focus solely on a new Iran nuclear agreement. Simply, the Europeans want a deal so they can invest in Iran again and reap the rewards, including lucrative contracts for European energy companies.
