EU Set to Re-Impose Sanctions Against Iranian Shipping Companies

By Jonathan Saul

LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) – The European Union is ready to place 40 Iranian delivery corporations again on an inventory of sanctioned teams in a blow to the Islamic Republic’s transport sector which has sought an easing of commerce restrictions, letters despatched from the EU confirmed.

The transfer, which comes at a crucial time in worldwide talks on Iran’s nuclear programme, is a part of the EU’s response to a sequence of court docket victories by Iranian corporations which have overturned EU sanctions towards them. In February, the bloc re-imposed sanctions on Iran’s largest oil tanker agency NITC.

The 40 corporations, together with Hamburg-based Ocean Capital Administration GmbH, have been beforehand positioned on the EU’s sanctions listing as a result of the EU mentioned they have been managed or in any other case linked to prime nationwide service the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), which had beforehand been blacklisted.

In January, the bloc’s second highest court docket annulled EU sanctions on the 40 delivery corporations and an Iranian financial institution, which had been hit with asset freezes as a part of strain on Tehran. The General Court struck down the sanctions, saying the EU had not given legitimate causes for saying that IRISL was supporting nuclear proliferation.

In letters dated March 12 and seen by Reuters, that have been despatched by the European Council to the delivery corporations’ lawyer Maryam Taher, the Council mentioned the explanations for the supposed re-listings included the businesses being owned or managed by IRISL or for offering coaching, spare elements and companies to IRISL or IRISL staff.

“Consequently, the Council intends to designate your clients again,” the letters mentioned.

An EU diplomat advised Reuters on Tuesday: “The (EU) Council looks at every judgment carefully and explores all choices available. A discussion on the cases you mention … will be held in the working party this week.”

Taher mentioned the choice to re-list the businesses was “purely politically motivated and not based on any proper evidence” that the entities have been linked with nuclear proliferation or Iran’s authorities.

“The whole purpose of the EU sanctions is to leverage pressure on the Iranian government to come to an agreement in relation to nuclear proliferation,” she mentioned.

World powers try to achieve a framework take care of Tehran by the top of the month that may limit probably the most delicate facets of Iran’s atomic programme in return for an easing of worldwide sanctions, which have halved the nation’s oil exports to simply over 1 million barrels per day since 2012 and hammered its economic system. (Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in Brussels, enhancing by David Evans)