US Sanctions & Economic Warfare: Impact for Europe

Discussing US secondary sanctions

Guests

Richard Nephew, Senior Research Scholar, The Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University

Maya Lester QC, Barrister, Brick Court Chambers

Chaired by

Ellie Geranmayeh, Deputy Head, MENA Programme, ECFR

The event will focus on the Iran case study and explore how European companies and governments have been impacted by the Trump administration’s re-imposition of US secondary sanction against Iran on 4 November. Richard Nephew, a leading U.S. sanctions expert, will present his views as to the future of the U.S. sanctions campaign against Iran and its likely points of success and difficulty in the months ahead. He will also provide an assessment of U.S. sanctions under the Trump administration more generally and the risks faced by the United States in the over-use of sanctions. Maya Lester QC, who specialises in EU sanctions law, will consider the impact of and challenges posed by US sanctions policy in the EU.

Richard Nephew (@RichardMNephew) is presently a Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. He is the former Deputy Coordinator for Sanctions Policy at the U.S. Department of State and Director for Iran at the National Security Council.

Maya Lester QC, is a barrister at Brick Court Chambers in London and has a particular expertise in the law relating to economic sanctions. As the directories put it, she is “Queen of the Sanctions Bar without a doubt” and “owns the world of sanctions”. She founded and co-writes the sanctions law blog europeansanctions.com with over 6000 followers around the world.

Ellie Geranmayeh (@EllieGeranmayeh) is a Senior Policy Fellow and the Deputy Head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at ECFR. She focuses on European foreign policy in relation to Iran, particularly on the nuclear and regional dossiers. Her expertise also covers wider regional dynamics. She previously trained as a lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP.