[1] The EU has accused and criticized Iran for human rights violations, which led to diplomatic tensions, but both sides aim at improving and normalizing relations.

As of 2019, the Iran–EU trade relations are stained due to the sanctions re-imposed on Iran by the United States after the US unilateral withdrawal from the multinational Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement.

[2] Nonetheless, the European Union imposed sanctions against Iranian individuals and organizations over human rights abuses in Iran in 2022.

A number of different talks and meetings were held, first with Fatmeh Rahbar, a conservative member and Chairman of Women Fraction of the Iranian Parliament and later with human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and film producer Jafar Panahi, both recipients of the Sakharov Prize in 2012.

As a result, four resolutions (N° 1696, 1737, 1747 and 1803) were put in place by the United Nations Security Council: they demanded to suspend all Uranium-235 enrichment and heavy water activities and restricted acquisition of nuclear and ballistic materials by Iran.

[13] The continuing refusal by Iranian authority to make clear declarations and to allow sufficient inspections of their nuclear facilities then convinced the EU to enforce additional sanctions on civilian goods and services such as financial activities and energy sector technologies.

It was not until 8 December 2013, when Iranian authorities based on a historic deal reached in Geneva on 24 November 2013 with the so-called P5+1 group (Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, and Germany)[14] allowed UN nuclear inspectors to visit a heavy water facility after announcing that plutonium enrichment has been suspended.

[19] On 23 June 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, a move which was praised by senior Iranian officials as a potential gateway for trade expansion with Europe.

[23] On 20 October 2018, Association of German Banks stated that exports from Germany to Iran has reduced to 1.8 billion euros since January.