Exiled Iranian activists have held demonstrations across Europe in recent weeks, intensifying their campaign against renewed Western diplomatic engagement with the regime in Tehran. Protesters gathered in city squares and public spaces from Berlin and Paris to Amsterdam, waving pre-revolutionary Iranian flags and displaying banners in English and Farsi that demand an immediate halt to talks with Iran. Many of the demonstrators are former political prisoners, journalists, and students who fled persecution by the Iranian government, as well as relatives of current political detainees.
The protests come amid reports that the United States and the European Union are once again exploring negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, following years of on-and-off talks that critics say have failed to curb Tehran’s regional aggression or internal repression. Disillusionment with Western governments, and particularly the Biden administration, is growing among Iranian diaspora communities, who argue that engagement with Iran’s rulers serves only to legitimize and empower a regime responsible for widespread human rights violations and support for terrorism.
Iranian expatriates in Europe recall that after the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement, billions of dollars in sanctions relief flowed into Iran. Dissenters contend that these funds bolstered the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and state security forces, rather than improving conditions for the Iranian people. Instead, internal repression escalated, and Iran’s regional proxy network expanded, resulting in greater instability and increased threats to Israel and its allies.
Recent events have strengthened these arguments. Iran’s regime openly sponsors and coordinates with multiple terrorist groups across the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various militias in Syria and Iraq—frequently described as the Iranian “axis of resistance.” These groups have carried out a range of attacks against Israel, often resulting in civilian casualties, as seen in the October 7, 2023 massacre led by Hamas. That attack, the deadliest antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust, involved atrocities such as executions, sexual abuse, mutilations, and mass abductions. Israeli intelligence ties these acts directly to Iranian financing and military support.
At European demonstrations, activists have called for Western governments to abandon negotiations and instead designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization across the continent. They emphasize that Iran’s influence has long extended beyond its borders, with Western intelligence agencies thwarting Iranian-directed assassination plots on European soil targeting dissidents and opponents. The 2018 attempted bombing of a rally in Paris by Iranian operatives is one of several examples cited by activists demanding greater protections for exiles and increased international scrutiny of Iranian consulates in Europe.
The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, maintains a longstanding opposition to any deal that leaves Iran’s nuclear infrastructure intact. Defense officials warn that Iranian military and proxy activity poses an existential threat, requiring both Israel and its international partners to adopt a posture of maximum pressure and robust self-defense. European governments and the United States, however, continue to debate the balance between engagement and enforcement, seeking ways to prevent nuclear proliferation without triggering wider conflict.
Diaspora activists argue that previous rounds of negotiation have failed to induce reform or restraint from Tehran. Instead, every overture is seen as a signal to the regime that it can continue domestic crackdowns and external aggression with impunity. The protests reflect a consensus within the exiled Iranian community that meaningful improvement in Iran must begin with accountability and an end to the international legitimacy provided by negotiations.
Protesters’ demands include a halt in negotiations, expanded sanctions and diplomatic isolation of the regime, legal protection for activists abroad, and recognition of the connection between the struggle for freedom in Iran and the fight against regional terrorism. These calls echo across the internet as Iranian dissidents use encrypted channels to amplify the protests’ impact within Iran, offering hope and solidarity to those resisting oppression.
For European leaders, the growing activism of the Iranian diaspora underscores the risks of appeasement and the need for coherent policies that address both nuclear ambitions and state-sponsored terror. As the protests spread, the question remains whether Western governments will recalibrate their approach to the Islamic Republic, taking into account not only geostrategic interests but also the demands for justice and security voiced by those who know the regime best.
With negotiations looming and civil unrest ongoing in Iran, the future of Western-Iranian engagement hangs in the balance. For exiled Iranians in Europe—and for Israel facing daily threats across multiple fronts—the stakes are nothing less than national survival and the defense of basic human rights.
