European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gives a speech in Brussels, Belgium, on June 09, 2026. [Dursun Aydemir – Anadolu Agency]
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that EU sanctions on Iran will not be lifted unless there is “credible and verifiable” behavioral change on human rights violations and weapons of mass destruction programs, Anadolu reports.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Evian alongside European Council President Antonio Costa ahead of the G7 summit, von der Leyen said the European Union’s sanctions framework is designed to respond to specific concerns and remains in place until measurable change is observed.
“The principle of sanctions is that we need real change on the ground before we can think about lifting them. Sanctions are in place to change behavior, so if behavior is changing credibly and verifiably, then you can lift sanctions, but the other way around is also true,” she said.
“As long as there is no behavioral change, you cannot lift the sanctions because of human rights violation and weapons of mass destruction,” von der Leyen further added.
