The European Union announced the resumption of sanctions against Iran and the freezing of central bank assets

The European Union announced on Monday (September 29) that it has once again imposed a package of punitive measures on Tehran after the United Nations resumed sanctions against Iran over the weekend.

The AFP reported that the UN resumed sanctions against Iran because the three countries, namely the UK, France and Germany, which signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue in 2015, launched a "rapid resumption of sanctions" mechanism on the 28th of last month. This mechanism allows signatory countries to take measures to deal with Iran's violations. According to the relevant mechanism, if the Security Council fails to pass a resolution on extending the exemption period for sanctions against Iran within 30 days, the relevant sanctions will be restored.

The sanctions reimposed by the European Union include the ban on nuclear and ballistic missile-related activities within the framework of the United Nations, and also extend to the financial sector, such as the asset freeze on the Central Bank of Iran, with a relatively wide coverage.

Tehran expressed strong dissatisfaction with the decisions of the United Nations and the European Union, saying that the resumption of sanctions "lacks legitimacy".

Despite the resumption of sanctions against Iran, Western leaders have emphasized that they have not cut off channels for diplomatic dialogue. Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, pointed out that the re-imposition of sanctions "cannot be the end of diplomacy", suggesting that a balance still needs to be sought between pressure and diplomatic engagement.