The European Commission said on Friday it had started the process of renewing a sanctions-blocking measure to protect European businesses in Iran, after the US reimposed sanctions on Tehran, Reuters reports.
The EU’s blocking statute bans any EU company from complying with U.S. sanctions and does not recognize any court rulings that enforce American penalties. It was developed when the United States tried to penalize foreign companies trading with Cuba in the 1990s, but has never been formally implemented.