BRUSSELS, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- The European Union erroneously sanctioned seven Iranian companies in an effort to stop the Islamic republic from developing nuclear weapons, a court ruled.
While ruling against sanctions imposed against the seven companies, the General Court in Brussels upheld European sanctions against Bank Melli Iran for paying scholarships for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, The New York Times reported Friday.
The cases concerned decisions by European governments to freeze the funds of companies including Post Bank Iran, Iran Insurance Co., Good Luck Shipping and Export Development Bank of Iran.
The court said the Council of the European Union didn't prove "the facts of which it accuses those four companies" and "could not, therefore, properly establish that they had provided support for nuclear proliferation," the court said in a statement.
The court also voided punitive measures against an individual identified as "Mr. Bateni" because his involvement with some companies that faced sanctions didn't "justify the adoption and/or maintenance of the restrictive measures."
The Times said the ruling kept the sanctions in place for at least two months pending appeal to the European Court of Justice, the European Union's highest court.
