Sanctions have arrived
A few days after the news of the new coordination between the U.S. government and its European allies to counter Iran’s role in strengthening the Russian military and aiding its aggression against Ukraine, three European countries, in parallel with the Biden administration, imposed new sanctions against Iran coinciding with Antony Blinken’s visit to Britain. These sanctions were announced alongside new warnings to Iran. It must be noted that these days Iran’s nuclear program is under scrutiny, and the efforts of Rafael Grossi and the IAEA to open the way for new talks with Iranian officials and to establish a maximum reassurance process of oversight over Iran’s nuclear program and to reduce the concerns of the organization he leads in this regard continue in the Board of Governors’ meetings. The new sanctions target Iranian individuals, organizations, and companies, and separately, a coordinated action to punish Iran through restricting flight services has been implemented, with Western officials highlighting the targeting of Iran Air. It should be noted that this is the beginning of the path in this phase of the U.S. and its allies’ confrontation with Iran as a partner in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. As the British government has promised, new laws for trade, transaction, and interaction restrictions with Iran are on the way to block any avenues of strengthening Iran’s military industries and dual-use technologies. In the realm of military industries, with such extensive restrictions, many non-military fields will also be affected and will be deprived of access to software and hardware. In his remarks alongside his British counterpart on the day the new U.S. and British sanctions were announced, Antony Blinken explicitly warned Masoud Pezeshkian and Araqchi, pointing out that they have spoken of improving relations with Europe and lifting sanctions, and Iran’s provocative actions are exactly contrary to this trend.