After the Trump-era breakdown in nuclear negotiations, the EU’s Blocking Statute—introduced to shield European businesses from U.S. sanctions and assert legal independence—ended up bottlenecking courts, costing millions, and is now widely dismissed as a farce.
The EU’s Iran-focused sanctions policy is “dead in the water”
From orchestrating terror plots to leveraging economic loopholes, Tehran’s reach in Germany underscores the growing complexity of countering the Iranian regime’s covert operations
Italian court sides with Iranian company in little-known sanctions case, orders bank to release frozen funds
German court narrows Clearstream’s liability in Iranian securities dispute
Frankfurt court orders German graphite supplier to repay €35.9M to Iranian client despite U.S. sanctions
UK court rules in favor of Mamancochet Mining in €3.8 million insurance dispute
German court sides with Iranian metal firm’s subsidiary in sanctions-linked contract dispute
German court sides with Iranian shipping company in sanctions dispute with local bank
Court sides with German bank’s decision to end Iranian account over U.S. sanctions risk
French court reduces biotech firm’s damages in Iranian distribution case
EU General Court ruling delists Iranian company with past involvement in nuclear activities
Dutch court finds “force majeure” argument inadmissible
Intesa Sanpaolo Payed $2.95 Million Settlement Over Iran Sanctions Violations
Ruling marks victory for German-based subsidiary of a company sanctioned for “facilitating censorship”
An EU Court ordered damages to an Iranian businessman, deeming the placement of his electrical equipment purveyor on the sanctions list an “error.”
Company Overview
EU court rejects Iran Air’s bid to suspend sanctions
Flagship airline fought EU sanctions over alleged role in arms transfers to Russia
German court rebukes bank over U.S. sanctions compliance
Dutch court puts freight forwarder under spotlight in Iran exports case
EU Court Upholds Clearstream’s Decision to Block Iranian Funds
Despite U.S. secondary sanctions cutting Iranian banks off from global finance, Bank Saman maintains branches in Germany and Italy, underscoring the EU’s divergent approach.
While Washington isolates Tehran, the EU allows Iranian banks to operate on its territory, reflecting diverging strategies on diplomacy, sanctions, and engagement.
EU Court Dismisses €121 Million Claim by Bank Refah Kargaran Over Sanctions
French case shows the practical difficulties in implementing the Blocking Statute against economic pressures.
Government-owned entities have 60% stake
Iranian bank co-owns active UK-based subsidiary, as well as IRGC-linked companies
Court ruling found in favor of Bank Mellat subsidiary in the UK, setting the beneficial ownership bar high for sanctions enforcers
This large, state-owned Iranian bank has a long history of challenging European Union sanctions.
Frankfurt case navigates cross-jurisdictional legal challenges
Court reaffirms EU Blocking Statute, encouraging EU companies to continue business relations with Iran despite US sanctions
Despite international sanctions, Iran’s oldest bank continues to operate globally with branches in key cities worldwide
Older litigation by EIH shows how banks that assist sanctioned Iranian businesses maintain pressure on EU legal structures
Tehran is like a sea—you can’t see where it begins or ends.
Tehran is a big city with big-city behaviors, maybe like New York.
“Out of nowhere, one of the boys in the class, Amir, turned his head in surprise and asked, ‘Do Kurds even know anything about financial markets?’ The room became heavy with tension.”
I turned onto the street and saw two guys standing there with Kalashnikovs in their hands. I had never seen traffic cops with Kalashnikovs before.
“He turned back and said, ‘I want nothing more than for you to leave as soon as possible. What if you set off a grenade here?”
“I trained myself to speak perfect Persian, mimicking the Tehrani accent so well that even my teachers couldn’t place me… They would ask, ‘Are you from somewhere near Tehran?’ and I would smile, pretending not to be proud of the answer I had long rehearsed: ‘No, I’m just Kurdish from here.’”
To me, Tehran is like its own planet—an isolated globe. One side tells one kind of story, and the other side tells a completely different one.
He stands two meters tall, bakes his own barbari bread in Belgrade, and taught himself the santoor without a teacher. Meet the Serbian professor who found his second home in Isfahan.
She debated Argo with the Basij, crashed a secret military base, and survived a staged interrogation. A German student’s dispatch from a surreal and unforgettable year in Tehran.
The Zan, Zendegi, Azadi movement showed that Persian and non-Persian, Kurd, Baluch, or any other ethnicity in Iran, are all actually on the same side.
Italian case reaffirms sanctioned Iranian financial institution’s right to EU-based banking services
Find the Affiliations of Over 200 Media Owners and Managers Here
The absence of independent journalism in Iran cannot be blamed solely on censorship and a lack of freedom. The political affiliations of supposedly independent newspapers’ owners and executives result in their narratives adhering closely to those of the government.
Pressure on the media in Iran intensified shortly after the 1979 revolution, beginning with the shutdown of the “Ayandegan” newspaper, the seizure of major newspapers “Kayhan” and “Ettela’at”, and the persecution of numerous journalists through imprisonment and execution. In the aftermath of the revolution, Khomeini’s
Mashregh’s problematic content is the brainchild of shadowy IRGC management
How a shadowy organization drives the IRGC’s media agenda