BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European governments have taken preliminary steps to re-impose sanctions against Iran’s main cargo shipping line, potentially complicating a new diplomatic push to settle the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Diplomats told Reuters the governments had agreed this week to send letters to Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and some of its subsidiaries to inform them of their intention.
The decision, not yet final, is part of a broader EU effort to counter a number of court rulings annulling European sanctions such as these ones in recent months.
“We will give notice to the companies that if they have information that would affect the decision, they should submit it. It is a notice,” one EU source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The source said the EU would use any response from the targeted companies to decide how to formulate new sanctions, which would freeze the company’s assets in Europe.
Governments in Europe and the United States had targeted hundreds of Iranian companies such as IRISL, accusing them of aiding Tehran’s nuclear program which they suspect has covert military aims and which they want curbed.
But Europe’s second-highest General Court has argued in some cases, including the one related to IRISL, that the EU failed to provide sufficient evidence linking the companies to Iran’s nuclear work to justify sanctions and ordered them lifted.
Iran denies having any military goals and says it needs nuclear power for electricity generation and medical purposes.
Diplomats in Brussels are keen to portray any possible new listings of previously targeted companies as a technical issue, not a new push to increase economic pressure on Iran, and stress that final decisions have not yet been taken.
