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EU package of sanctions doomed to failure (Analysis)

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, July 26, IRNA -- The European Union foreign ministers on Monday adoped a package of sanctions on Iran in a publicized meeting in Brussels.

Last month, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1929, the fourth round of sanctions on Iran and US President Barack Obama signed a series of unilateral sanctions afterwards.

The European countries decided on June 17 to follow the US lead by adopting a package of sanctions on investment in oil and gas industry.

The EU package of sanctions range from investment in oil, gas and refinery industries to banking, insurance and shipping businesses.

EU officials have announced that the intensification of the sanctions is in line with the efforts to what they call ‘alteration of Iran’s behavior’ on the nuclear issue.

This is while EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, requested resuming talks with Iran as an agenda of the foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.

Although Iran has on several occasions denounced the UN-imposed sanctions as illegal, it seems the parallel move by the EU amounts to a preference to assume a role in the international scene, rather than the tougher sanctions.

Following the involvement of Turkey and Brazil as the two heavyweights in Iran’s nuclear talks, EU which sees its role has been undermined seeks to restitute its political reputation.

The tougher sanctions go in line with simultaneous request by Ashton to resume Iran talks with Group 5+1.

After Iran broke off ties with the US following the capture of the ‘den of spies’, the European governments were forced to adopt measures against Iran due to pressures from the US..

In May 1980, the EU Council of Ministers slapped economic sanctions against Iran, banning the export any goods to Iran except for food and pharmaceuticals.

During the Iraqi-imposed war, most of them equipped the Baathist Saddam Hussein with all facilities, on the one hand, and tried to undermine Iran, on the other.

The experience proved that the EU cannot refuse to follow the US lead, nor it can ignore the interests from the economic ties with the countries such as Iran.

Return of the EU envoys to Iran following the Mykonos Court case and surrendering to Iran’s conditions are but a few deeds of the EU, given the then circumstances.

In the past 30 years, imposing sanctions was a common stance by the West vis-à-vis Iran.

But this time, the EU seeks to overtake its ancient ally, the US, in exerting pressure over Iran.

EU approved the sanctions at a time when Iran has turned into the fifth country providing it with crude oil by exporting 800,000 barrels of oil per day.

The value of Iran-EU commercial exchanges has exceeded 14 billion euros last year.

EU Statistics Center introduced last year Iran as one of the main markets for the European goods.

In addition, EU looks to Nabucco and Tibilisi-Ceyhan-Baku gas pipelines to cut dependence on Russia.

Regardless of its dependence on the Middle East energy sources as well as Iran’s geopolitical position in the region are among the points it should take into account.

Observers say that the EU sanctions against Iran will have nothing but its deprivation from the benefits of the economic and commercial ties with Iran.

Experience has shown that the US has always an instrumental view over the EU.

While the EU countries were after their own interests during the Persian Gulf War, the US seized all the energy in the region and all of them, but, Britain had no share of rich oil resources in the countries like Iraq and Kuwait.