The European Union on Thursday prolonged sanctions against Iran over its human rights record until 2019.
The measures include freezing the assets of 82 people and one entity and banning any exports to Iran that could be used for human rights violations.
The bloc first passed the sanctions in 2011 in response to the Iranian government’s crackdown against protesters during and after the 2009 elections.
Thursday’s decision came amid heightened fears among many EU countries that the United States could walk away from a 2015 deal that lifted separate sanctions against Iran.
That deal saw the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany agree to suspend sanctions in exchange for Tehran promising to halt its nuclear program.
But US President Donald Trump has repeatedly slammed the agreement as ineffective and threatened to pull the US out of it. In January, he set May 12 as a deadline for improving the accord
If the deal is not modified by then, the US would cease to comply with it and could reintroduce sanctions against Iran. Britain, France and Germany have been trying to stop te deal from unravelling.
Although EU countries agree on existing sanctions and the need to protect the 2015 nuclear deal, they are divided on whether the bloc should pass new sanctions against Iran.
France has argued for new punitive measures in response to Iran’s ballistic missile program and its role in conflicts in the Middle East.
Some officials believe those measures could convince Trump of Europe’s resolve to punish recent Iranian transgressions, which in turn could convince the president to stick with the 2015 nuclear deal. Britain and Germany have shown support for the French initiative.
But other EU countries led by Italy have pushed back. They fear the new sanctions would undermine EU companies trying to enter the Iranian market. The group, which also includes Austria and Spain, have also argued new sanctions may not convince Trump to stick with the 2015 nuclear agreement.
EU foreign ministers are set to discuss new sanctions on Monday in Luxembourg. A vote on new measures would require unanimity.