EU imposes tougher sanctions on Iran

The European Union announced Monday that it is imposing a series of tough new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear enrichment program.

The EU is now blocking all contact between European and Iranian banks unless approval is given in advance, and it is imposing new restrictions on the Iranian Central Bank.

European foreign ministers made the announcement after a meeting on Monday. 

“Iran is acting in flagrant violation of its international obligations and continues to refuse to fully co-operate with the [International Atomic Energy Agency] to address the concerns on its nuclear program. In this context, and in coherence with previous European Council and Council conclusions, the Council has agreed additional restrictive measures in the financial, trade, energy and transport sectors, as well as additional designations, notably of entities active in the oil and gas industry,” the ministers said.

The new sanctions ban exports to Iran of materials that could be used in its nuclear project. Graphite, metals and software are banned, and the EU is now also banning natural gas imports from Iran. 

The move comes after President Obama last week formally implemented a new round of American sanctions on Iran passed by Congress in August. 

Historically, Europe has lagged behind the U.S. in pressuring Iran over what experts believe is a nuclear weapons project. French and German firms in particular had strong economic ties.

The Obama administration credits itself with working with Europe to get it to ban oil imports for the first time and argues that just pursuing unilateral sanctions is a doomed effort.

Iran, along with the al Qaeda attack in Libya that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, are the dominant foreign policy focus points in the fall election campaign. 

GOP candidate Mitt Romney says Obama has not made it clear enough that the United States will do everything necessary to prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb and that the White House has snubbed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the subject.

The Obama campaign says it is closely coordinating with Israel and is keeping military strikes as an option while trying to avoid another Mideast war. 

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