EU Ambassadors Discuss New Sanctions Against Iran

European diplomats reported that ambassadors from 28 EU member states discussed potential new sanctions against Iran on Wednesday, April 8. These sanctions were proposed by the European Troika - Britain, France, and Germany - which were part of the P5+1 negotiating group with Iran over its nuclear program. It is expected that the new sanctions will be approved at the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting on April 16. An EU diplomat mentioned regarding the meeting in Luxembourg, "Decisions on Iran sanctions will be made before or during the meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers' Council." Reuters states that based on documents it has seen, Britain, France, and Germany have suggested that the EU impose sanctions on Iran due to its ballistic missile program and the Islamic Republic's role in the Syrian civil war, to prevent Washington from withdrawing from the nuclear agreement made in July 2015 with Iran. Donald Trump, the U.S. President, announced on January 12 that he would extend the suspension of sanctions against Iran for the last time under the mentioned agreement, and if the "catastrophic flaws" of the JCPOA are not resolved by the next deadline on May 12, the United States will likely withdraw from the agreement. Trump has repeatedly called the JCPOA "the worst deal in U.S. history" and has set four conditions for continued U.S. participation in the JCPOA. These conditions include: "immediate access" for international inspectors to all sites and facilities in Iran, making restrictions on Iran's nuclear program permanent, ensuring no approach to nuclear weapons, and limiting Iran's long-range missile program. The U.S. President believes that Iran's long-range missile program and nuclear weapons are "inseparable" and his administration officials have stated that the new U.S. government will review the nuclear agreement in a broader context that includes destabilizing behaviors and Iran's missile program. Reuters reported on March 15 that Britain, France, and Germany emphasized in their draft sanctions against Iran that "we will present a list of individuals and companies in the coming days that we believe can be targeted due to their public roles." The proposed document from the three European countries refers to sanctions that "target militias and commanders." According to this document, the new sanctions will be added to the current EU sanctions related to Syria, which include travel bans and asset freezes for individuals, as well as prohibitions on transactions and financing for private and public companies. The Islamic Republic of Iran has stated that it is not willing to negotiate on amending the JCPOA, while considering its missile activities as "outside the framework of the JCPOA" and asserting that this program has a "defensive nature." The text of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the six world powers does not mention Tehran's missile activities, and this is one of the main criticisms Trump has made of the agreement. At the same time, the new U.S. administration has repeatedly called Iran's activities in the Middle East "a violation of the spirit of the JCPOA," as under this agreement, Iran is committed to participating in global peace and stability.