Luojiashan tanker sits anchored in Muscat, as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 7, 2026. REUTERS\/Benoit Tessier<\/p>\n
EU\u00a0to\u00a0Widen\u00a0Iran Sanctions to Those Who Block Hormuz<\/p>\n
BRUSSELS\/PARIS, April 20 (Reuters)\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The\u00a0European Union will expand the criteria of its Iran sanctions to include those responsible for blocking the<\/p>\n
, which has been largely shut for nearly two months upending global energy and commodities markets, two\u00a0EU\u00a0diplomats said.<\/p>\n
Tehran effectively closed the\u00a0strait\u00a0after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, cutting off roughly one-fifth of the world\u2019s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.<\/p>\n
More than a dozen tankers sailed through Hormuz after Iran briefly declared it open on Friday, but the\u00a0ceasefire\u00a0agreement was thrown into<\/p>\n
after the United States seized an Iranian cargo ship as it maintained its own military blockade of Iranian ports.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a political agreement among ambassadors that we indeed would change the criteria in Iran\u2019s sanctions regime so that we could also list persons and entities that are responsible for the obstruction of the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d one of the diplomats said.<\/p>\n
A second diplomatic source said the\u00a0European External Action Service would need a few weeks to prepare any new listings. The EEAS is in charge of placing people and companies under sanctions while the\u00a0European Commission handles sector-wide restrictions.<\/p>\n
In January, the\u00a0EU\u00a0designated\u00a0Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards\u00a0(IRGC) as a terrorist organization and in March it listed Iranian officials for\u00a0human rights\u00a0violations.<\/p>\n