EU To Extend Sanctions on Iran Over Ballistic Missiles Concerns

European representatives informed Iranian officials that the European Union would keep sanctions in place to deprive Iran of ballistic missiles. The sanctions were set to expire in October per the rules of a 2015 deal.

News reports said Thursday that the EU was concerned with Iran’s transfer of drones to Russian forces in Ukraine and the possibility of Iran following suit with ballistic missiles. The Union also wants to punish Teheran for violating the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The JCPOA was a deal Iran negotiated with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Germany, and the EU. The US pulled out of that deal in 2018 under President Donald Trump, and Iran responded by enriching uranium beyond the level permitted by the JCPOA.

The EU ballistic missile sanctions were scheduled to lapse on October 18, but Thursday’s report suggested EU officials were preparing the legal groundwork for extending the ban.

In recent months, Iran, the US, and the EU have held confidential talks to explore de-escalating tensions, and an EU decision to extend sanctions could make those conversations more difficult.

However, an Iranian official dismissed the report, saying his government had long developed ballistic missiles despite international sanctions.