When Iran restarted its nuclear programme in August 2005, the country took one further step towards building a nuclear bomb. Fears about a nuclear Iran mounted in October, when the country’s new president announced that he wanted to see Israel "wiped off the map". These two developments appear to undermine the EU’s argument that its approach towards Iran – based on incentives and sanctions – is more effective than the US one, which relies on isolation and the implicit threat of military force. However, in this CER working paper, Mark Leonard argues that EU diplomacy is still the only way to stop Iran's nuclear programme. The EU’s goal must be to slow down Tehran’s nuclear programme until there is a new regime in Tehran that is more willing to make concessions on its nuclear programme, in return for western aid and trade.

Mark Leonard was director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform.