Iran accuses EU of 'surrendering its sovereignty' by backing US sanctions

What Happened

On August 31, 2026, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei posted on X that the European Union is "surrendering its sovereignty, its laws & regulations, its values and its ethics to American coercion" by supporting U.S. sanctions against Iran. Baqaei said the EU's support for "most predatory and unlawful unilateral coercive measures" violates international law and the union's own legislation, and described U.S. sanctions as an "unlawful economic war" and "#economic_terrorism". He added that "every EU member state shall be held accountable for the consequences of its contribution to this wrongful act." These are attributed accusations by the Iranian spokesperson; the article does not include an EU or U.S. response.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The statement is part of Iran's diplomatic campaign to contest the Western sanctions architecture and drive a wedge between the EU and the United States over extraterritorial sanctions. By framing EU support as a loss of sovereignty and a legal violation, Tehran is pressing European governments at a time when sanctions remain central to the nuclear standoff.

Watch For

Monitor for an EU response through the European External Action Service or member-state foreign ministries, any new EU Council sanctions designations targeting Iran, and whether Tehran follows the rhetorical escalation with diplomatic or nuclear programme measures.