The EU on Monday agreed to reimpose a range of nuclear-related sanctions on Iran that were suspended a decade ago as part of the JCPOA nuclear deal.
The move came after the UN Security Council (UNSC) voted to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran, which it too had suspended as part of the JCPOA in 2015. Those sanctions went back into effect at midnight on 27 September under a 'snapback' mechanism that was built into the 2015 deal.
The EU said measures reintroduced today include "travel bans on individuals, asset freezes for individuals and entities… and economic and financial sanctions covering the trade, financial and transport sectors." There is an arms export embargo, which includes a ban on the transfer of any items, materials, goods or technologies that could contribute to Iran's enrichment or reprocessing capabilities, or its ballistic missile programs, and measures against Iran's energy sector.
The latter involves a ban on "imports, purchase and transport of crude oil, natural gas, petrochemical and petroleum products and related services" as well as "the sale of key equipment used in the energy sector."
In reality this is unlikely to have any real effect, as EU countries ended all energy-related dealings with Iran ─ purchases or involvement in the Iranian energy sector ─ after US President Donald Trump reimposed US sanctions on Iran in 2018 after pulling out of the JCPOA.
The EU also said it is again freezing the assets of Iran's central bank and other major Iranian banks, and reinstating measures to restrict access for Iranian cargo flights to EU airports.
The measures taken by the UNSC over the weekend saw the reimposition of six resolutions, which included an arms embargo against Iran, and a ban on ballistic missile technologies.
