Iran Shipping Lines to sue EU over 'illegal' sanctions

[News_Editor]

Iran Shipping Lines to sue EU over 'illegal' sanctions

2011-06-28 03:04:01 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEHRAN (BNO NEWS) -- The state-run Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) on Monday announced that it will sue the European Union in regards to the 'illegal' sanctions imposed against the company, the Fars news agency reported.

Maryam Taher, legal advisor of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), said the lawsuit will seek compensation from the EU due to the organization's latest sanctions on Iranian entities for allegedly supporting proliferation activities.

The lawsuit will be filed at international courts after last month, the EU imposed sanctions on over 30 IRISL holding companies aimed at stalling the Iranian nuclear program, added Taher.

The sanctions, labeled by the Iranian government as irrational and illegal, have caused several IRISL vessels to be temporarily seized in foreign ports. According to Iran, the EU has not presented any document or evidence over the alleged wrongdoings by IRISL.

The EU sanctions also targeted foreign companies that had commercial cooperation with IRISL. The lawsuit will be filed in the European Court of Justice. On June 10, Iran filed 20 complaints with a number of European courts against the EU sanctions.

The reinforced EU sanctions came shortly before Iran announced plans to expand its nuclear fuel production capacity in order to increase its production of 20 percent enriched uranium by three times.

The initial restrictive measures were imposed by the EU against Iran on May 23. Both the United States and the United Kingdom welcomed the EU's actions against Iran as they considered the Islamic country has failed to fulfill its international obligations.

Last Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on four Iranian commercial entities, including the state-run airline Iran Air. The four companies are accused of supporting illegal activities and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran has repeatedly claimed that its nuclear program has always pursued peaceful means only and said it is a civilian path to provide power to Iran's growing population, as fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Furthermore, Iran's enriched uranium will be used to supply fuel to its Tehran research reactor which produces radioisotopes for medicinal use as the Islamic nation had ran out of nuclear fuel and decided to produce its own 20-percent-enriched uranium.

However, it was discovered that in 2003 Iran concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In June 2010, the United Nations Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions, engineered by the U.S., over Iran's nuclear program.

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