If Europe Wants to Sanction Iran, It Knows What to Do

Excerpt

As Europe considers another round of sanctions targeting Iran for its deadly crackdown on protesters and the supply of arms to Russia, there is a ready sanctions tool already in place, whose activation would send an unmistakable message to Tehran. Britain, France, and Germany, as original participants in the Iran nuclear deal, have the power to take the most important step of all: the snapback of United Nations sanctions that are already on the books.

Beginning in 2006, the U.N. Security Council imposed escalating international sanctions and restrictions on Iran out of concern for its growing nuclear and missile activities. An arms embargo prohibited the transfer of arms and conventional weapons, including drones, in and out of Iran. A missile embargo restricted the same for missile-related systems and components. Multiple U.N. resolutions called on Iran to halt activities related to nuclear enrichment and banned Tehran from testing nuclear-capable missiles. Additionally, the Security Council established an international sanctions list of individuals tied to Iran’s nuclear and missile activities and encouraged the regime’s isolation on the world stage.