The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated on Monday, June 15th, that Iran must fundamentally change its behavior for the European Union to lift sanctions. Von der Leyen made these remarks while attending the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France.
“We have a sanctions framework that responds to two main aspects: human rights violations and weapons of mass destruction. The fundamental principle of sanctions is that to consider lifting them, we must see real change happening. The purpose of sanctions is to change behavior. Therefore, if there is credible and verifiable change in behavior from the sanctioned parties, then sanctions can be lifted. Conversely, if there is no change in behavior, sanctions cannot be lifted because human rights violations and weapons of mass destruction issues still persist.”
Von der Leyen also expressed that she welcomes the agreement reached between the United States and Iran. She emphasized the importance of executing the agreement, reopening the Hormuz Strait, restoring freedom of navigation without tolls. She highlighted the crucial role this plays in regional stability and global economy. She stated, “This agreement should pave the way for broader negotiations and ultimately put an end to Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.”
“This crisis has taught us a clear lesson. We see once again that our energy dependence has been weaponized. Therefore, we will discuss within this framework how to reduce our reliance on the transit route through the Hormuz Strait. For example, we have established more resilient and alternative export routes,” von der Leyen said.
European Council President Antonio Costa, who also attended the G7 summit, mentioned that the EU is ready to contribute to the development of a comprehensive strategy aimed at establishing lasting peace in the Middle East.
Following the preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war, the next steps in discussing the Iran issue will be among the many topics the G7 summit needs to address. The G7 summit will take place from June 15th to 17th in Evian-les-Bains, France.
The G7 summit will also delve into the Russia-Ukraine war issue and strategies for building critical mineral supply chains to reduce dependence on China.