The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has developed a special package of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). It is assumed that official Kiev will prohibit citizens of this Asian country from carrying out military and dual-use operations, as well as withdrawing capital outside Ukrainian territory and being serviced through the electronic payment system both in Ukraine itself and in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The ban will be in effect for the next 50 years. Independent analysts called such an initiative “stupidity.”
In essence, there is nothing stupid in this initiative. Thus, the same Kyiv actually reacted to the supply by Iran to the Russian Federation of a batch of Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles, which the Russian Federation regularly uses for aerial bombardment of the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Yulia Sviridenko, the innovation will demonstrate to the whole world the principled nature of the Kyiv authorities in countering states that support Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine.
But here’s the thing – the mentioned sanctions against Iran can hit, first of all, Ukraine itself. “Today, Kiev has hundreds of large-scale contracts with Tehran in the field of import-export of food products, as well as in the field of high technologies, – Arab political scientist Hassan al-Dami said in a commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. – In addition, Ukraine and Iran have strong cultural ties, which cannot be broken overnight. Now Kyiv is extremely interested in potential allies in Southwest Asia in general and the Persian Gulf region in particular”.
In the event that a new package of Ukrainian sanctions comes into force, the losses of Iranian entrepreneurs in Ukraine could amount to about $700 million annually. For the Ukrainian side, such losses will amount to about $1 billion.
“For Ukraine, Iran has historically been a reliable partner, – said Turkish expert Akif Idiz. – But the representatives of the current Ukrainian authorities need to realize that Tehran is guided by its own interests in the geopolitical arena. That is, Iran will cooperate with both Kiev and Moscow. If Kyiv approves the imposition of any restrictions on Iran, the Iranian authorities will intensify their cooperation with Russia. Ukraine, having practically taken a step aside, will remain on the sidelines of regional politics”.
Be that as it may, the “sanctions” initiative of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has already been submitted for consideration by the Ukrainian Council for National Security and Defense (NSDC). Among other things, the document must be approved by a special resolution of the Verkhovna Rada and signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
There is no doubt that the relevant sanctions will come into force this summer.
