The foreign ministers of the EU member states, meeting in Brussels this morning, officially approved sanctions against Iran, aimed at countering its nuclear programme (which according to Ahmadinejad would be implemented only for civilian purposes) through the weakening of the economic resources of the Persian state. The will of the EU countries, according to Catherine Ashton (High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union), is to "put pressure on Iran to push it to sit down again at the negotiating table".
The sanctions had already been foreseen for some time, but there was still uncertainty about the timing of implementation. A gradual embargo has been agreed, under pressure in particular from Greece, which depends heavily on Iranian crude oil, but also from other states in southern Europe and, through Minister Terzi, also from Italy, convinced that a "gradual approach to sanctions can be more easily absorbed by the market.
Then a immediate stop to new supply contracts and time until July XNUMX to terminate existing ones, so as to give countries dependent on Iranian crude the time needed to find alternative sources. The decided measures will be reviewed by May XNUMX, to assess their effectiveness and sustainability. There are also sanctions against Iran's central bank and a ban on trade in gold and other precious metals with Tehran.
All this while Mohammed Kossari, deputy head of the parliamentary committee for foreign affairs and national security, reiterates the threats on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which yesterday was crossed by a US aircraft carrier escorted by French and British ships. Nonetheless the price of oil, also due to the crisis which led to a drop in demand, it is downhill.
