Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 18 September 2015 — HTTS and Bateni v Council

(Case T‑45/14)

Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures adopted against Iran — Freezing of funds — Criterion relating to the provision of essential services to IRISL or to entities owned by it, under its control or acting on its behalf — Right to effective judicial protection — Obligation to state reasons — Manifest error of assessment — Right to property — Freedom to conduct a business — Right to respect for family life — Proportionality

1.                     Actions for annulment — Judgment annulling a measure — Effects — Partial annulment of a regulation and of a decision entering a certain entity on the list of persons and entities covered by restrictive measures against Iran — Retroactive effect — Annulment involving the annulment of a decision and a regulation entering a person and an entity on the same list on the basis of the said annulled measures (Art. 264 TFEU; Council Decision 2013/661/CFSP; Council Regulation No 1154/2013) (see paras 40-56)

2.                     Actions for annulment — Judgment annulling a measure — Effects — Limitation by the Court — Restrictive measures against Iran — Partial annulment at two different times of two acts comprising identical restrictive measures — Maintenance of the effects of the first of those acts until the taking effect of annulment of the second — None — Conduct of the Council not showing a risk of the effectiveness of the said restrictive measures being seriously and irreversibly affected (Art. 264 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 60; Council Decision 2013/661/CFSP; Council Regulation No 1154/2013) (see paras 58-67)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment of Council Decision 2013/661/CFSP of 15 November 2013 amending Decision 2010/413/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2013 306, p. 18) and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1154/2013 of 15 November 2013 implementing Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 concerning restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2013 L 306, p. 3) in so far as they relate to the applicants.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls Council Decision 2013/661/CFSP of 15 November 2013 amending Decision 2010/413/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Iran in so far as it listed HTTS Hanseatic Trade Trust & Shipping GmbH and Mr Naser Bateni in Annex II to Council Decision 2010/413/CFSP of 26 July 2010 concerning restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Common Position 2007/140/CFSP;

2. Annuls Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1264/2012 of 21 December 2012 implementing Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 concerning restrictive measures against Iran in so far as it listed HTTS Hanseatic Trade Trust & Shipping GmbH and Mr Bateni in Annex IX to Council Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 of 23 March 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Regulation (EU) No 961/2010;

3. Orders the Council of the European Union to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by HTTS Hanseatic Trade Trust & Shipping GmbH and Mr Bateni.