The European Union can apply a "blocking ruling" against the US if Washington announces the introduction of sanctions measures against Iran. According to European Commissioner for Internal Affairs Dimitris Avramopulos, this possibility is already being considered by European leaders. On Thursday, May 17, the head of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, will arrive in the capital of Bulgaria Sofia for the EU summit and the countries of the Western Balkans. They will discuss the issue of how to protect the interests of European businessmen in the event that the US declares a ban on conducting business with Tehran and Iranian companies. As RIA Novosti writes, the European Union accepted the "blocking provisions" only once in its history. This happened in November 1996. and again in response to US actions, which then declared extraterritorial sanctions against Cuba.

US President Donald Trump reported on May 8 that Washington is withdrawing from a nuclear deal with Tehran, and that he ordered the restoration of sanctions that were lifted from Iran after the signing of the agreement in 2016. Economic restrictions will affect the financial, energy, petrochemical spheres and will be secondary, that is, they will spread to foreign persons who will continue the forbidden US cooperation with Iran. Russia, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, which is the guarantor of the nuclear deal, condemned the steps of the US and already secured Iran's consent to develop a program of action in response to the White House demarche.