Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/1532 of 20 July 2023 concerning restrictive measures in view of Iran’s military support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to armed groups and entities in the Middle East and the Red Sea region

Version applicable since 11 Dec 2023

Previous versions: Version 20 Jul 2023

Article 1

1.   It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer or export, directly or indirectly, goods and technology which might contribute to Iran’s capability to manufacture Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), whether or not originating in the Union, to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Iran or for use in Iran.

2.   It shall be prohibited:

(a) to provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to the goods and technology referred to in paragraph 1 and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of those goods and technology, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Iran, or for use in Iran;

(b) to provide financing or financial assistance related to the goods and technology referred to in paragraph 1 for any sale, supply, transfer or export of those goods and technology, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Iran, or for use in Iran.

(c) to sell, license or transfer in any other way intellectual property rights or trade secrets as well as grant rights to access or re-use any material or information protected by means of intellectual property rights or constituting trade secrets related to the goods and technology referred to in paragraph 1 and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of those goods and technology, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Iran or for use in Iran.

3.   The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this Article.

Article 2

1.   Member States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the entry into, or transit through, their territories of natural persons:

(a)    responsible for, supporting or involved in Iran’s UAV or missile programme;

(b)    supplying, selling or otherwise involved in transferring Iran’s UAVs or missiles or related technologies:

(i)    to Russia in support of its war of aggression against Ukraine;

(ii)    to armed groups and entities undermining peace and security in the Middle East and the Red Sea region;

(iii)    to natural or legal persons, entities or bodies acting in breach of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015); or

(c)    associated with natural persons referred to in point (a) or point (b), or with legal persons, entities or bodies listed pursuant to Article 3(1);

as listed in the Annex.

2.   Paragraph 1 shall not oblige a Member State to refuse its own nationals entry into its territory.

3.   Paragraph 1 shall be without prejudice to cases where a Member State is bound by an obligation of international law, namely:

(a) as a host country to an international intergovernmental organisation;

(b) as a host country to an international conference convened by, or under the auspices of the United Nations;

(c) under a multilateral agreement conferring privileges and immunities; or

(d) under the 1929 Treaty of Conciliation (Lateran pact) concluded by the Holy See (State of the Vatican City) and Italy.

4.   Paragraph 3 shall also apply in cases where a Member State is host country to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

5.   The Council shall be duly informed in all cases where a Member State grants an exemption pursuant to paragraph 3 or 4.

6.   Member States may grant exemptions from the measures imposed under paragraph 1 where travel is justified on grounds of urgent humanitarian need, or on grounds of attendance at intergovernmental meetings, or those promoted or hosted by the Union or by a Member State holding the Chairmanship in office of the OSCE where a political dialogue is conducted that directly promotes the policy objectives of the restrictive measures, including support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

7.   A Member State wishing to grant an exemption pursuant to paragraph 6 shall notify the Council in writing. The exemption shall be deemed to be granted unless one or more of the Council members raises an objection in writing within two working days of receiving the notification of the proposed exemption. Where one or more of the Council members raise an objection, the Council, acting by qualified majority, may decide to grant the proposed exemption.

8.   Where, pursuant to paragraph 3, 4, 6 or 7, a Member State authorises the entry into, or transit through, its territory of a person listed in the Annex, the authorisation shall be limited to the purpose for which it is given to the person concerned.

Article 3

1.   All funds and economic resources belonging to, or owned, held or controlled by natural or legal persons, entities or bodies:

(a)    responsible for, supporting or involved in Iran’s UAV or missile programme;

(b)    supplying, selling or otherwise involved in transferring Iran’s UAVs or missiles or related technologies:

(i)    to Russia in support of its war of aggression against Ukraine;

(ii)    to armed groups and entities undermining peace and security in the Middle East and the Red Sea region;

(iii)    to natural or legal persons, entities or bodies acting in breach of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015); or,

(c)    associated with natural or legal persons, entities or bodies referred to in point (a) or point (b);

as listed in the Annex, shall be frozen.

2.   No funds or economic resources shall be made available, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in the Annex.

3.   By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 and 2, the competent authority of a Member State may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources, or the making available of certain funds or economic resources, under such conditions as it deems appropriate, after having determined that the funds or economic resources concerned are:

(a) necessary to satisfy the basic needs of the natural persons listed in the Annex and dependent family members of such natural persons, including payments for foodstuffs, rent or mortgage, medicines and medical treatment, taxes, insurance premiums, and public utility charges;

(b) intended exclusively for the payment of reasonable professional fees and the reimbursement of incurred expenses associated with the provision of legal services;

(c) intended exclusively for the payment of fees or service charges for the routine holding or maintenance of frozen funds or economic resources;

(d) necessary for extraordinary expenses, provided that the competent authority has notified the competent authorities of the other Member States and the Commission of the grounds on which it considers that a specific authorisation should be granted, at least two weeks prior to the authorisation; or

(e) to be paid into or from an account belonging to a diplomatic mission, consular post or international organisation enjoying immunities in accordance with international law, insofar as such payments are intended to be used for official purposes of the diplomatic mission, consular post or international organisation.

The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under this paragraph within two weeks of that authorisation.

4.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the competent authorities of a Member States may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources, or the making available of certain funds or economic resources, provided that the following conditions are met:

(a) the funds or economic resources are the subject of an arbitral decision rendered prior to the date on which the natural or legal person, entity or body referred to in paragraph 1 was listed in the Annex, or of a judicial or administrative decision rendered in the Union, or a judicial decision enforceable in the Member State concerned, prior to or after that date;

(b) the funds or economic resources will be used exclusively to satisfy claims secured by such a decision or recognised as valid in such a decision, within the limits set by applicable laws and regulations governing the rights of persons having such claims;

(c) the decision is not for the benefit of a natural or legal person, entity or body listed in the Annex; and

(d) recognition of the decision is not contrary to public policy in the Member State concerned.

The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under this paragraph within two weeks of that authorisation.

5.   Paragraph 1 shall not prevent a natural or legal person, entity or body listed in the Annex from making a payment due under a contract or agreement entered into, or an obligation that arose, prior to the date on which such natural or legal person, entity or body was listed therein, provided that the Member State concerned has determined that the payment is not, directly or indirectly, received by a natural or legal person, entity or body referred to in paragraph 1.

6.   Paragraph 2 shall not apply to the addition to frozen accounts of:

(a) interest or other earnings on those accounts;

(b) payments due under contracts, agreements or obligations that were concluded or arose prior to the date on which those accounts became subject to the measures provided for in paragraphs 1 and 2; or

(c) payments due under judicial, administrative or arbitral decisions rendered in the Union or enforceable in the Member State concerned;

provided that any such interest, other earnings and payments remain subject to the measures provided for in paragraph 1.

7.   The prohibition set out in paragraph 2 shall not apply to organisations and agencies which are pillar-assessed by the Union and with which the Union has signed a financial framework partnership agreement on the basis of which the organisations and agencies act as humanitarian partners of the Union, provided that the provision of the funds or economic resources referred to in paragraph 2 is necessary for exclusively humanitarian purposes in Iran.

8.   In cases not covered by paragraph 7, and by way of derogation from paragraphs 1 and 2, the competent authorities of a Member State may grant specific or general authorisations, under such general or specific conditions as they deem appropriate, to release certain frozen funds or economic resources or to make available certain funds or economic resources, provided that the provision of such funds or economic resources is necessary for exclusively humanitarian purposes in Iran.

9.   In the absence of a negative decision, a request for information or a notification for additional time from the competent authority within five working days of the date of receipt of a request for authorisation under paragraph 8, the authorisation shall be considered granted.

10.   The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisations granted under paragraphs 8 and 9 within 2 weeks of such authorisation.

11.   The prohibitions in Article 3(1) and (2) shall not apply until 27 October 2023 to obligations arising from a contract concluded before 26 July 2023, or ancillary contracts necessary for the execution of such a contract.

Article 4

1.   The Council, acting by unanimity upon a proposal from a Member State or from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (the ‘High Representative’), shall establish and amend the list in the Annex.

2.   The Council shall communicate a decision pursuant to in paragraph 1, including the grounds for the listing, to the natural or legal person, entity or body concerned, either directly, if the address is known, or through the publication of a notice, providing such natural or legal person, entity or body with an opportunity to submit observations.

3.   Where observations are submitted, or where substantial new evidence is presented, the Council shall review the decision concerned and inform the natural or legal person, entity or body concerned accordingly.

Article 5

1.   The Annex shall include the grounds for listing the natural or legal persons, entities or bodies referred to in Articles 2 and 3.

2.   The Annex shall also contain, where available, the information necessary to identify the natural or legal persons, entities or bodies concerned. With regard to natural persons, such information may include names and aliases, date and place of birth, nationality, passport and identity card numbers, gender, address, if known; and function or profession. With regard to legal persons, entities or bodies, such information may include names, place and date of registration, registration number and place of business.

Article 6

1.   The Council and the High Representative shall process personal data in order to carry out their tasks under this Decision, in particular:

(a) as regards the Council, for preparing and making amendments to the Annex;

(b) as regards the High Representative, for preparing amendments to the Annex.

2.   The Council and the High Representative may process, where applicable, relevant data relating to criminal offences committed by listed natural persons, and to criminal convictions or security measures concerning such persons, only to the extent that such processing is necessary for the preparation of the Annex.

3.   For the purposes of this Decision, the Council and the High Representative are designated as ‘controller’ within the meaning of point (8) of Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council, in order to ensure that the natural persons concerned can exercise their rights under that Regulation.

Article 7

No claims in connection with any contract or transaction the performance of which has been affected, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by the measures imposed under this Decision, including claims for indemnity or any other claim of this type, such as a claim for compensation or a claim under a guarantee, in particular a claim for extension or payment of a bond, guarantee or indemnity, in particular a financial guarantee or financial indemnity, of whatever form, shall be satisfied, if they are made by:

(a) designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in the Annex;

(b) any natural or legal person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the natural or legal persons, entities or bodies referred to in point (a).

Article 8

It shall be prohibited to participate, knowingly or intentionally, in activities the object or effect of which is to circumvent the prohibitions set out in this Decision.

Article 9

In order to maximise the impact of the measures set out in this Decision, the Union shall encourage third States to adopt restrictive measures similar to those provided for in this Decision.

Article 10

This Decision shall apply until 27 July 2025 and shall be kept under constant review. It shall be renewed, or amended as appropriate, if the Council deems that its objectives have not been met.

The exceptions referred to in Article 3(7), (8) and (9) as regards Article 3(1) and (2) shall be reviewed at regular intervals, and at least every 12 months, or at the urgent request of any Member State, the High Representative or the Commission following a fundamental change in circumstances.

Article 11

This Decision shall enter into force on the on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

ANNEX - List of natural and legal persons, entities and bodies referred to in Article 3

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