European Court annuls sanctions against National Iranian Tanker Company

04/07/14

The General Court of the European Union (7th chamber, extended composition) has annulled the listing of the National Iranian Tanker Company on the European Union's targeted sanctions relating to Iran, in Case T-565/12 (judgment of 3 July 2014) National Iranian Tanker Company v Council of the European Union. 

The reasons given by the EU for the NITC's inclusion were that it was "effectively controlled by the Government" and provided "financial support to the Government through its shareholders which maintain ties with the Government".  The Court held that although the Council had complied with its duty to give reasons for the listing, it had committed a "manifest error" in its assessment that NITC fulfilled the relevant listing criteria, because there was not the "slightest evidence" on the Council's file to support the allegations, which NITC denied.

This is one in a series of annulments by the European court of the designations of Iranian individuals and companies from the EU sanctions list. See www.europeansanctions.com (the blog co-written by Maya Lester) for details of these and other cases (and for links to all the EU restrictive measures in force).

The judgment is here.