In 1992 the EU Council of Ministers declared that Iran's domestic human rights abuses, its continued obstruction of the Arab-Israeli peace process, its refusal to revoke the 'fatwa' against Salman Rushdie, and its sponsorship of international terrorism had to be opposed by a policy of constructive but critical engagement: "the critical dialogue". This paper argues that the EU concentrated on the promotion of human rights and pressure on Iranian foreign policy as part of its commitment to pursuing an active human rights policy as a core element of the European Common Foreign and Security Policy.