Iran Warns EU Decision to Maintain Sanctions is ‘Illegal’

The Bushehr Nuclear Facility in southern Iran (AFP)
The Bushehr Nuclear Facility in southern Iran (AFP)
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Iran Warns EU Decision to Maintain Sanctions is ‘Illegal’

The Bushehr Nuclear Facility in southern Iran (AFP)
The Bushehr Nuclear Facility in southern Iran (AFP)

Iran has cautioned the European Union against retaining sanctions beyond the timeline stipulated in the 2015 agreement concerning Tehran's nuclear program, terming such a move "illegal."

In a statement issued late Thursday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry deemed the decision by the European Union and three European countries (E3) as illegal and contrary to the obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the UN Security Council's Resolution 2231.

The ministry further warned European parties that such measures create tension and are accompanied by malicious intentions.

Meanwhile, the British Foreign Ministry announced that London, Paris, and Berlin have resolved to maintain their sanctions on Iran past the October 18 deadline as stated in the 2015 accord.

A statement by the British Foreign Office emphasized that Iran continued its non-compliance with their JCPOA commitments and ongoing nuclear escalation.

E3 confirmed that the UN sanctions will be transferred into domestic sanctions regimes, and the EU and UK sanctions will be maintained.

The JCPOA had specified that a series of sanctions by the UN, EU, and the UK should be lifted on October 18, targeting specifically individuals and entities involved in Iran's missile program, nuclear weaponry, and other arms.

The objective of the 2015 agreement was to restrict Iran's nuclear activities in return for alleviating international sanctions.

However, the accord was suspended due to the unilateral withdrawal by the US under president Donald Trump's administration in 2018.

Last year, EU-led negotiations to revive the agreement fell through.

- Two Oil Tankers

Iran captured two foreign oil tankers in the Arabian Gulf carrying smuggled fuel and arrested their crews.

The state television reported that the navy of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) captured two foreign oil tankers in the Gulf carrying 400,000 gallons of smuggled fuel.

IRGC commander Mohammad Sharif Shirali identified the tankers, the Steven and the Crown, flying under the flags of Panama and Tanzania. Both ships' crews, 37 people in total, were arrested.

The US military has recently bolstered its presence in Gulf waters following accusations against Iran for attempting to intercept ships in this vital passage.

On July 6, the US Navy reported that the IRGC seized a commercial vessel in the Gulf, a day after accusing Iranian forces of similar attempts off the coast of Oman.

Iran later asserted that the ship intercepted in Gulf waters had transported "over half a million smuggled fuel."



9 Killed in Courthouse Attack in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Iranian Media Report

Iranian security forces. (EPA file)
Iranian security forces. (EPA file)
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9 Killed in Courthouse Attack in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Iranian Media Report

Iranian security forces. (EPA file)
Iranian security forces. (EPA file)

At least nine people were killed in an armed attack by the Jaish al-Adl Baluch group on a courthouse in Iran’s restive Sistan-Baluchestan province on Saturday, including three of the assailants, state media reported. 

Another 22 were injured, according to thereport. 

Jaish al-Adl confirmed the deaths of its three members in the clashes with security forces in Zahedan, the capital of the far southeastern province bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.  

Sistan-Baluchestan is home to Iran’s Baluch minority, who have long complained of economic marginalization and political exclusion. 

A toddler and a 60-year-old woman were among those killed, as well as three soldiers and law enforcement personnel assigned to the courthouse, the head of the province's judiciary told IRNA. He did not identify the sixth dead person.  

He said the attackers wore explosive vests and carried grenades. It was not clear if they had detonated them. 

Jaish al-Adl, which claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on its Telegram account, said it had killed at least 30 members of the judiciary and security forces. It said it targeted judges and court personnel, whom it accused of issuing death sentences and house demolition orders to Baluch citizens. 

"We warn all judges and employees of the judiciary that Baluchestan will no longer be a safe place for them and death will follow them like terrifying shadows until retribution," the group said in its statement. 

It blamed security forces for the deaths of civilians, saying they had fired indiscriminately. 

The Baluch human rights group HAALVSH, quoting eyewitnesses, said several judiciary staff members and security personnel were killed or wounded when the assailants stormed the judges’ chambers. 

Sistan-Baluchestan is frequently hit by clashes between security forces and armed groups, including militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy. Tehran accuses some of them of ties to foreign powers and involvement in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.