European Union Suspends Iran Sanctions for Another Six Months

Following the historic agreement between Iran and six world powers regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, the European Union on Tuesday, July 14, suspended sanctions against Iran for another six months. In the agreement reached after 18 days of negotiations in Vienna, it is stipulated that in exchange for limiting Iran's nuclear activities, the sanctions imposed by the EU and the United Nations will be lifted. However, in the event of any violation by Iran in implementing the terms of this agreement, the aforementioned sanctions will be automatically and swiftly reinstated. According to a statement from the European Council on Tuesday, 'Following the agreement on July 14 regarding Iran's nuclear program, the Council has extended the suspension of the EU's restrictive measures against Iran for six months until January 14, 2016. This decision will allow the EU to take the necessary actions to implement the provisions of this comprehensive agreement.' The EU has repeatedly extended the suspension of Iran's sanctions to provide more opportunities for continued nuclear negotiations. The Interfax news agency also reminds that in the November 2013 negotiations between Iran and the six world powers, it was agreed that as long as negotiations continued, the EU would suspend the implementation of sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program to give more time for discussions.