EU countries have approved sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities involved in disrupting the transit through the Strait of Hormuz
The EU has found itself painfully pinched by the Iran war, with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz causing oil and gas prices to flare, in what the leader of the International Energy Agency has labelled “the world’s biggest energy crisis”.
The shock has been exacerbated as Europe’s inability to address the situation has been laid bare.
Yet that hasn’t stopped the bloc from issuing sanctions on commanders of the Iranian navy, with EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas saying that “Iran’s actions are unacceptable”. EU countries have consequently approved sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities involved in disrupting the transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It is the first time that the EU has applied its new freedom of navigation sanctions regime. Iran’s navy commanders are accused of of setting up a blockade that “screens vessels and determines which ones are allowed to transit through the strait, sometimes after paying tolls,” according to a statement.
