Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 8 October 2025 - Strasbourg

EU strategy with regard to Iran’s nuclear threat and the implementation of EU sanctions resulting from the snapback mechanism (debate)

  Lucia Annunziata, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Madam President, in 2025, Iran's inflation is up to 45 %. Youth unemployment is up to 20 %, while 30 % of the population is below the poverty threshold. Economic crisis due to the sanctions have reduced the regime consensus, and the defeat of Hezbollah by Israel has ruined Iran's major project of expansion towards the West.

Iran is weaker than ever, and yet can still count on a solid alliance with Russia, and particularly also with China, which are the main buyers of Iran's oil.

The West at this point has two options: taking advantage of this crisis, but risking a major escalation, or making Iran part of a larger, what we once called a 'comprehensive peace process', a process that could involve and stabilise all the major players of the region, Israel, Arab nations and Iran and global players as US, Europe and China.

It is the type of process that I like to feel that a little bit catch Ms Kallas in her recent statement.