Reactions from Russia, Iran, and the European Union to the New U.S. Congressional Sanctions

On Wednesday, August 2, Russia, Iran, and the European Union reacted to the enactment of new U.S. sanctions. Iran stated that it would respond intelligently to these sanctions. Russia described the sanctions as a declaration of total trade war. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, signed the congressional bill regarding the intensification of sanctions against Iran, Russia, and North Korea. According to Reuters, Trump informed American lawmakers that while he supports strict measures to counter the aggressive and destabilizing behaviors of Iran, North Korea, and Russia, he believes the law has significant shortcomings. The U.S. President also stated that he signed the bill 'for the unity of the American people,' but acknowledged its problems. After the law comes into effect, Trump must impose sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and foreign individuals who are officials, agents, or affiliates of the IRGC within 90 days. Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, reacted to these sanctions by stating that the main goal of the U.S. in imposing these sanctions against Iran is to destroy the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), and that Iran will respond very intelligently to this move. Araqchi mentioned in a television interview that Trump's signing of the congressional bill was 'natural' and 'expected.' He added that the U.S. hopes that 'based on this pressure, at the end of a period, Iran will be encouraged to exit the JCPOA.' Araqchi further stated, 'As you have seen in the statements of Mr. Zarif and Mr. Shamkhani, we will certainly not act in a way that we get caught up in the policies of the U.S. government and Trump. Our reaction to this move will be very intelligent.' Dmitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister of Russia, also stated that with the enactment of new sanctions against Russia, a total trade war has been declared. According to the report, Medvedev wrote on his Facebook page that these sanctions showed that the Trump administration has no power. The Prime Minister emphasized that hopes for improving relations with the new U.S. government have vanished after the new sanctions were confirmed by Trump. Meanwhile, a senior EU official stated that the EU is ready to respond to sanctions against Russia, but believes that the U.S. wants these sanctions not to affect European energy companies. According to AFP, Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, stated that Congress is now committed to implementing sanctions only after consulting with allies, and he believes that we are still allies of the U.S. However, he noted that if U.S. sanctions cause losses to European companies in energy transactions with Russia, the EU is prepared to respond appropriately within days. Last week, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly passed the new sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This bill is a new version of a Senate proposal that was approved in late June under the title 'Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities.' However, the new bill also targets North Korea and Russia. This law imposes new sanctions on companies involved in Russia's offshore oil extraction projects and its oil and gas pipeline facilities. At the same time, companies collaborating with Russian military and security entities will also be targeted by sanctions.