New EU sanctions on Iran are toothless

The European Union on Tuesday passed a series of pathetic sanctions on Iran. These follow Iran’s repeated terrorist acts and attempts on European soil. While lauded by European multilateralists, the sanctions are too weak to affect Iran’s future cost-benefit analysis of terrorist plotting. Indeed, their weak quality will likely embolden Iranian terrorist plotters.

Of course, EU officials see things differently. They suggest that the sanctions targeting two Iranian officials and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence are a tough representation of the EU’s resolve in defending its interests.