Brussels (The Brussels Morning newspaper) – Nine countries, including EU candidates and EFTA members, support the EU Council’s extension of sanctions against Iran until July 2025 for backing Russian and Middle Eastern groups.
Which Countries Have Joined the EU’s Sanction Extension?
Several countries have joined the EU Council’s conclusion to extend sanctions against Iran due to its backing of Russian groups in the Middle East. This was said in a statement published the day before by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, FREEDOM reports.
The decision was endorsed by candidate nations for EU membership: North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as EFTA (European Free Trade Association) nations: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
All countries that entered the decision pledged to align their national guidelines with this decision, guaranteeing the enactment of the sanctions.
What Are the New Measures in the Extended Sanctions?
The conclusion to extend and expand sanctions against Iran was assumed by the EU Council on July 15. These sanctions are linked to Iran’s military support for Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as its backing for groups in the Middle East and the Red Sea region. The decision provides for the lengthening of sanctions until July 27, 2025, and the growth of the sanctions list by adding four individuals and two entities linked with military support for aggression.
How Have EU Sanctions Against Iran Evolved Since 2011?
In 2011, the EU presented a sanctions regime against Iran in reaction to serious human rights violations in the country. The restrictive standards have been renewed annually since then and were last unfolded until 13 April 2025. Since October 2022, given the lack of human rights situation in the country, the EU has drastically expanded restrictive measures, adopting 10 packages of sanctions.
The EU has repeatedly criticised serious human rights violations in Iran, including the demise in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022, and the following fierce repression by the Iranian authorities of peaceful demonstrations, which led to the loss of hundreds of lives.
As drafted in the EU Council conclusions on Iran of December 2022, the EU funds the fundamental aspirations of the people of Iran for a fortune where their universal human rights and fundamental liberties are respected, protected and fulfilled.
