Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham deplored the EU’s “questionable measure”, describing that as “unconventional insistence” that runs counter to the course of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers.
“While the nuclear negotiations are in progress and the negotiating parties are trying to reach an acceptable agreement, such a move by the European Union is questionable and is against the process of negotiations and the other side’s commitments,” she stressed.
Iran and the G5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) are in talks to hammer out a final deal to end a decade of impasse over Tehran’s civilian nuclear work.
On November 24, 2013, Iran and the G5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) signed an interim nuclear deal in the Swiss city of Geneva based on which the world powers agreed to suspend some non-essential sanctions and to impose no new nuclear-related bans in return for Tehran’s decision to freeze parts of its nuclear activities and to allow more inspection of its nuclear facilities.
Afkham’s comments came after the Council of the European Union emphasized in a document on November 7 that Iranian individual Babak Zanjani, Sorinet Commercial Trust Bankers, and Iran’s Sharif University of Technology should be included again on the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures, on the basis of a new statement of reasons.
The document alleged that those entities are involved in nuclear or ballistic missile activities providing support to Iran’s government.
In early July, the Luxembourg-based General Court of the European Union had annulled sanctions on the Sharif University after the 28-nation bloc failed to provide sufficient evidence over its alleged role in Tehran’s nuclear energy program.