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If the European Union's execution is as good as the rhetoric, then its latest round of economic sanctions will finally put more than token pressure on Iran over its nuclear-weapons program.

Until this week, the EU has focused on trying to prevent nuclear proliferation by restricting the export to Iran of nuclear and dual-use technology. But as the EU's ever-growing list of Iranian front companies and shell corporations attests, this was always a losing game.

With Monday's sanctions, the EU has followed the U.S. in directly targeting Iran's refined-petroleum products. The measures, made public Tuesday, bar the sale of equipment to Iran for use in its refining, liquified natural gas or exploration and production industry.