Iran’s foreign minister arrives in Brussels on Thursday for a visit threatening to become a lightning rod for critics of the EU’s tepid response to anti-regime protests in the Islamic Republic.
Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet Federica Mogherini, Brussels’ top diplomat, and foreign ministers from Germany, France and the UK in a diplomatic show of force designed to reaffirm the EU’s support for a 2015 nuclear accord that is on the brink of collapse.
The timing is deliberate but unfortunate for the EU — shining a light on the bloc’s muted reaction to pro-democracy protests rather than its commitment to Iranian nuclear disarmament. Ms Mogherini extended the invitation ahead of a key decision from the Trump administration over whether to reimpose oil sanctions on Iran — effectively killing off US participation in the landmark nuclear agreement struck with six global powers.