AFP – The European Union is set to boost new UN sanctions against Iran, over its nuclear programme, with extra measures targetting the energy, trade and transport sectors, diplomats said Friday.
The EU envisages a ban on new investment as well as the transfer of technology, equipment and services in the oil and gas sector.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday agreed new sanctions against Iran, expanding an arms embargo and barring the country from sensitive activities such as uranium mining.
The UN measures also authorise states to conduct high-sea inspections of vessels believed to be ferrying banned items to Iran and adds 40 entities to a list of people and groups subject to travel restrictions and financial sanctions.
Tehran maintains its uranium enrichment programme is for peaceful civilian purposes, while Western nations have charged that Iran is covertly seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The EU is set to impose "accompanying measures" to the new UN sanctions, to be discussed by European foreign ministers on Monday and heads of state and government on Thursday.
In the trade area these will focus on products which could be useful to the military and supplementary restrictions on trade insurance.
The draft EU proposals also foresee freezing the activities of additional Iranian banks and "restrictions on banking and insurance".
In the transport sector, the sanctions would apply in particular to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line (IRISL), which the US has accused with providing logistical support to the Iranian defence ministry, as well as air cargo.
Finally the EU envisages new visa bans and assets freezes against Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard.
All the new measures are included in the text to be discussed by EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg Monday before being formally approved by leaders in Brussels.
The EU heads are set to give the foreign ministers in turn the job of agreeing the details of the new measures at their following meeting in July, the diplomatic sources said.
