EU imposes tougher sanctions on Iran oil and gas
Reuters
17-Jun-2010 (one comment)

(Reuters) - European Union leaders agreed tighter sanctions against Iran on Thursday, including measures to block oil and gas investment and curtail its refining and natural gas capability.

World

The
measures, which go substantially beyond those approved by the United
Nations on June 10, are designed to pressure Tehran to return to talks
on its uranium enrichment programme which Western powers believe is
designed to produce nuclear weapons.

Russia
sharply criticized the EU and the United States for imposing additional
sanctions on top of those that Moscow agreed to support in the U.N.
Security Council last week.

"We
are extremely disappointed that neither the United States nor the
European Union is heeding our calls to refrain from such steps," Russian news agencies quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabk... >>>

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Details of today's EU Sanctions on IRI

by IranFirst on

//www.germany.info/Vertretung/usa/en/__pr/P__...

Concrete measures were agreed upon in the following spheres:

  • Trade restrictions, especially in the case of dual-use goods,
  • Decisions on the insurance and financial sectors,
  • Transport sector,
  • Gas and oil industries (ban on technical assistance),
  • New visa restrictions,
  • Freezing of Revolutionary Guard Corps accounts.

DECLARATION ON IRAN

1.            
The European Council underlines its deepening concerns about Iran's
nuclear programme and welcomes the adoption by the UN Security Council
of Resolution 1929 introducing new restrictive measures against Iran.

2.            
The European Council welcomes the recent efforts by Brazil and Turkey
to secure progress on the Tehran Research Reactor agreement proposed to
Iran by the IAEA in October 2009. A satisfactory agreement with Iran on
the TRR could serve as a confidence building measure. However, the
European Council stresses that it would not address the core of Iran's
nuclear issue. The European Council urges Iran to engage in
negotiations on its nuclear programme.

3.             The
European Council reaffirms the rights and responsibilities of Iran
under the NPT. The European Council deeply regrets that Iran has not
taken the many opportunities which have been offered to it to remove
the concerns of the international community over the nature of the
Iranian nuclear programme. The decision by Iran to enrich uranium to
the level of 20 per cent, contrary to its international obligations
under existing UNSC and IAEA Board of Governors Resolutions has further
increased these concerns. In this regard, the European Council notes
the last report of the IAEA of 31 May.

4.            
Under these circumstances, new restrictive measures have become
inevitable. The European Council, recalling its declaration of 11
December 2009 and in the light of the work undertaken by the Foreign
Affairs Council thereafter, invites the Foreign Affairs Council to
adopt at its next session measures implementing those contained in the
UN Security Council Resolution 1929 as well as accompanying measures,
with a view to supporting the resolution of all outstanding concerns
regarding Iran's development of sensitive technologies in support of
its nuclear and missile programmes, through negotiation. These should
focus on the areas of trade, especially dual use goods and further
restrictions on trade insurance; the financial sector, including freeze
of additional Iranian banks and restrictions on banking and insurance;
the Iranian transport sector, in particular the Islamic Republic of
Iran Shipping Line (IRISL) and its subsidiaries and air cargo; key
sectors of the gas and oil industry with prohibition of new investment,
technical assistance and transfers of technologies, equipment and
services related to these areas, in particular related to refining,
liquefaction and LNG technology; and new visa bans and asset freezes
especially on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

5.            
The European Council confirms once again the commitment of the European
Union to work for a diplomatic solution of the issue of Iran's nuclear
programme. The European Council calls on Iran to demonstrate
willingness to build the confidence of the international community and
to respond to the invitation for resumption of negotiations, and
reaffirms the validity of the June 2008 proposals made to Iran.

6.            
What is needed is a serious negotiation about Iran's nuclear programme
and other issues of mutual concern. The European Council underlines
that the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
is ready to resume talks in this regard.