WANA (Feb 12) – The Deputy for Economic Diplomacy at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reflecting on Iran–Europe interactions after the JCPOA, explained the reasons behind the diminished role of Europeans in the current negotiation process. He stressed that diplomacy only has real meaning when it is backed by the ability to implement commitments, not merely by issuing political statements.

 

Hamid Ghanbari, Deputy Minister for Economic Diplomacy, wrote in a note referring to Iran–Europe economic negotiations in the post-JCPOA period: at that time, despite the official announcement of sanctions relief, a fundamental question always remained unanswered—why were normal banking relations never established, and why did major European banks refuse to engage with Iran even at a minimal level?

 

According to him, after the United States withdrew from the JCPOA, Europe repeatedly emphasized its “commitment” and issued numerous statements and held meetings. In practice, however, the behavior of European economic actors did not match these positions. Large European banks and companies based their decisions not on the declared policies of their governments, but on considerations and constraints stemming from Washington’s policies, since maintaining access to the U.S. market and financial system was a far higher priority for them.

 

Ghanbari noted that even the limited level of economic cooperation quickly came to a halt. He added that whenever this gap between declared policy and actual behavior was raised with European diplomats, the usual response was that Europe’s sovereignty in the economic sphere is limited, and that even if there were political will, governments lacked the necessary tools to force banks and companies to act independently.

 

He emphasized that the mechanisms designed by Europe were largely symbolic rather than capable of bringing about real change in risk calculations. Agreements remained on paper and failed to extend into the banking and commercial networks. Regardless of whether this situation stemmed from structural limitations or a lack of political will, the practical outcome was the same: European economic actors followed U.S. considerations and directives.

 

The Deputy for Economic Diplomacy further stressed that beyond verbal positions and initiatives that produced no tangible results, the European Union and its member states did not take effective deterrent action—or chose not to. For this reason, he said, past experience is one of the main explanations given today for Europe’s absence from the negotiations, even though it is not the only determining factor.

 

In conclusion, Ghanbari wrote that in international relations, an actor that cannot maintain coherence between political decisions and economic action is gradually pushed out of the decision-making arena. Diplomacy does not derive its meaning from statements alone; it gains meaning from the ability to fulfill commitments. Where words become detached from action, even the concept of sovereignty itself comes into question.

Iranian and Omani Foreign Ministers Meet Ahead of Indirect Tehran–Washington Talks. Social media / WANA News Agency

Iranian and Omani Foreign Ministers Meet Ahead of Indirect Tehran–Washington Talks. Social media / WANA News Agency