EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell is sending his deputy Enrique Mora to the Tehran ceremony.

According to Iran expert Kasra Aarabi, ‘’Iran’s new so-called ‘moderate’ leader Masoud Pezeshkian is  part of the game. The presidency is a rubber stamp and the face of the regime to give a mask of reformism abroad.’’

Several  members of the Europeran Parliament have expresse anger at the fact that the EU will be represented at the swearing in ceremony of Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday in Tehran.

In a letter to EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, Polish MEP Adam Bielan from the European Conservatives and Reformists group, stated that it was “not appropriate” for the European Union to be represented “as this would legitimise the Iranian regime.”

Last week, a senior EU official told the Wall Street Journal that Josep Borrell will not attend the ceremony as the ties with Iran are “at the lowest point it has ever been.” Instead, Borrell’s deputy Enrique Mora, who is deputy secretary-general of the European External Action Service (EEAS), will travel to Tehran.

The EEAS insisted that the EU will not be represented at political level but merely at a “diplomatic level.”

In his letter, MEP Bielan, who is the ECR’s coordinator for foreign policy, wrote ;“This decision is not only misguided but stands in direct contradiction to the values and principles that the European Union purports to uphold,” Bielan stated in his letter. “We expect a swift and appropriate response to ensure that our foreign policy remains consistent with our shared values and commitments.”

He added, “Iran’s persistent support for terrorist activities and destabilising actions across the region poses a direct threat to global security and contradicts the EU’s commitment to democracy and human rights.’’

He continued, “Engaging diplomatically with such a regime at this juncture is highly inappropriate and dangerous. It undermines the integrity of our foreign policy and sends a message of tacit approval to a government that flagrantly violates human rights and international norms. This engagement is particularly problematic during a transitional period for the European Union, where significant actions should be approached with caution and respect for the incoming Commission.”

Another member of the European Parliament, Dutch Bart Groothuis, from the Liberal Renew group, also called the decision of the EU to be represented at Tuesday’s ceremony as “unacceptable.”

“We are so ready for change at the highest and some lower levels,” German Green MEP  Hannah Neumann posted on X, in a clear reference to Josep Borrell nearing the end of his term as EU’s foreign affairs chief. He will be replaced by the Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas who is considered to be less indulgent towards the Iranian regime.

Enrique Mora also represented the EU at the inauguration ceremony of Ebrahim Raisi as president of Iran in 2019, for which he was criticised by Iranian human rights activists.

Iran and the EU have clashed over a number of issues in the last few years, most notably Iran’s nuclear program and its poor record on human rights. In recent months, the relationship has deteriorated over the European’s ongoing deliberations on the possibility of adding Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) to the EU’s terror list.

Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old cardiac surgeon was elected the president on July 6.The election was called after President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in May. In his election campaign last month, Pezeshkian promised to improve Iran’s diplomatic ties and even attempt to revive the 2015 nuclear deal that fell apart when the former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018.

But, according to Kasra Aarabi, director for IRGC Research at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) ‘’Iran’s new ‘moderate’ leader is part of the game. The presidency is a rubber stamp and the face of the regime to give a mask of reformism abroad.’’

‘’Pezeshkian’s presidency will not change the regime’s key policies. They are set by the supreme leader, who wields absolute power,’’ he added.

Aarabi noted that Pezeshkian would not have become president without consent from Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

According to him, they choose Pezeshkian ‘’because Khamenei and the IRGC know if Trump is elected, US policy will revert to “maximum pressure” against the regime. This almost brought the Islamic Republic to its knees during Trump’s first term. But they also know Europe has a high level of disdain for The Donald. Thus, they believe that the best way to undermine “maximum pressure” is to divide the US and Europe on Iran.’’

‘’Through Pezeshkian, Khamenei believes he’ll be able to divide Europe from the US on Iran, prevent action against IRGC in Europe – not least its designation as a terrorist organisation – reinvigorate the manufactured “hardliner-reformist” narrative and revive the Iran lobby, which has been dead since Iran’s 2022 anti-regime uprising,’’ said Aarabi.