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The European Commission has adopted its first aid package for Iran, the Commission’s press service said.
The package of €18 million (about $20 million) is aimed at supporting sustainable economic and social development in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Today, the Commission has adopted the first package of €18 million for projects aimed at supporting sustainable economic and social development in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including €8 million ($9 million) in aid to the private sector,” the statement said.
It is the first step in a wider package of €50 million ($58 million).
“Since the renewal of the EU-Iran relations as a result of the Iran nuclear deal, cooperation has developed in many sectors. We are committed to sustain it and this new package will widen economic and sectoral relations in areas that are of direct benefit to our citizens,” said Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Earlier, the European Commission blocked US sanctions against Iran on its territory.
Federica Mogherini and Foreign Ministers of G3 countries (Jean-Yves Le Drian of France, Heiko Maas of Germany, Jeremy Hunt of the United Kingdom) issued a joint statement expressing their regret that the United States, under President Donald Trump’s direction, reissued sanctions against Iran.
On May 8, Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from an Iranian nuclear deal that imposed restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and restrictive measures previously imposed by the U.S. and the EU. Trump promised not only to reinstate the old sanctions, but also to introduce the new ones if Iran “decides to fulfill its nuclear ambitions.”
