Andrew Gardner, European Voice The EU's latest efforts to force Iran to allay concerns about its nuclear programme involve sanctions on the banking, trade, energy and transport sectors.
Foreign ministers from the European Union today (15 October) agreed to extend sanctions on Iran in their latest attempt to force Iran to take steps to allay international concern about its nuclear programme.
The measures, which affect the banking, trade, energy and transport sectors, follow the imposition in July of an embargo on the sale of oil, a step that observers say has contributed to the collapse of the Iranian currency in recent weeks.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, takes the same view, saying today after the meeting in Luxembourg that the oil embargo is “quite clearly having an effect”.
The new measures include a ban on all banking transactions (unless authorised by a government), a ban on the export to Iran of metals that could be used to make machinery for its nuclear programme (including aluminium and steel), and a ban on the construction of oil tankers for Iran and on the granting of flags of convenience to Iranian ships.
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