Post-JCPOA Perspective of Iran-Germany Relations in the Framework of Transatlantic Commitments

Abstract

In comparison to relations with other European major powers, Iran-Germany relations have been less fragile, more largely stable and expanding. Analysts consider historical, economic, and geopolitical reasons for this feature. One of the difficulties in studying German foreign policy is that the country has abandoned its geopolitical rivalries because of the tough lessons of world war II and has devoted most of its potential to the international economy. Moreover, Germany cannot regulate its foreign policy beyond the framework of its transatlantic commitments, as well as principles and norms of the common European foreign policy. For this reason, the analysis of German foreign policy should focus more on the relatively covert behavior of the country than usual positions by the officials. The study of Iran-Germany relations stands within this framework. This paper aims to focus on the question that why Germany has done its best to emphasize an interactive model in the face of the US confrontation with Iran, and to make the EU to follow this behavior? This paper provides a historical-analytical framework for a deeper understanding of German policy toward Iran, as well as focusing on Germany's approach toward Iran after the JCPOA, especially when Trump lost the presidency.

Keywords

• historical relations
• conditional transaction
• maximum pressure
• jcpoa
• geoeconomic power