European diplomats have told Iran they plan to retain European Union ballistic missile sanctions set to expire in October under the defunct 2015 Iran nuclear deal, sources said.
The EU sanctions are set to expire on Oct. 18 under a U.N. resolution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal, Reuters reported.
A European diplomat said Mora had started laying the legal groundwork to retain the sanctions, which would have to be approved by all 27 EU members. Two sources said the issue had not yet been discussed among all EU states.
"The lifting of sanctions was based on the principle that 2231 would be respected," the European diplomat said, referring to the U.N. Security Council resolution that enshrined the 2015 deal. "That has not been the case, so there is a discussion with the Iranians to make clear that we won't lift these sanctions."
Henry Rome, an analyst with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said an EU decision to retain the sanctions would be the first significant instance of the E3 not abiding by the terms of the nuclear deal.
An Iranian official said that maintaining sanctions will not hinder Iran's ongoing advancements, but it serves as a reminder that the West cannot be relied upon and trusted.
