Judgment of the General Court of 18 September 2015 — IOC-UK v Council
(Case T-428/13) 1
(Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Iran with the aim of preventing nuclear proliferation — Freezing of funds — Right to be heard — Obligation to state reasons — Rights of the defence — Manifest error of assessment — Proportionality — Right to property — Equal treatment and non-discrimination)
Language of the case: English
Parties
Applicant: Iranian Oil Company UK Ltd (IOC-UK) (London, United Kingdom) (represented by: J. Grayston, Solicitor, P. Gjørtler, G. Pandey, D. Rovetta, M. Gambardella, D. Sellers and N. Pilkington, lawyers)
Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: V. Piessevaux and M. Bishop, acting as Agents)
Intervener in support of the defendant: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (represented initially by S. Behzadi-Spencer and V. Kaye, and subsequently by V. Kaye, acting as Agents, and by M. Gray, Barrister)
Re:
Application for annulment, first, of Council Decision 2013/270/CFSP of 6 June 2013 amending Decision 2010/413/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2013 L 156, p. 10), and, secondly, of Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 522/2013 of 6 June 2013 implementing Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 concerning restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2013 L 156, p. 3).
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Dismisses the action;
Orders Iranian Oil Company UK Ltd (IOC-UK) to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the Council of the European Union;
Orders the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to bear its own costs.
____________1 OJ C 313, 26.10.2013.