Sanctions Against Iran Statement by the White House Press Secretary on a Decision by the European Community.

I have a brief statement on the action yesterday by the European Community.

We welcome the EC Nine Foreign Ministers' decision to support our efforts to free the hostages by invoking the sanctions against Iran embodied in the U.N. Security Council resolution, vetoed by the Soviet Union last January.

Some of the European Community member states will require legislation to give effect to sanctions, and they have undertaken to obtain that legislation by May 17. We are hopeful that the necessary legislation will be promptly enacted so that the nations will be able to carry out their commitments to impose sanctions unless decisive progress has been made toward releasing the hostages, which we assume means release from Iranian control.

In the meantime, diplomatic staffs will be reduced, and visas will be required for Iranians traveling to EC countries. Military sales will be banned. We are awaiting the necessary parliamentary action as we give great importance to the joint action of all the European Community countries in this effort.

I just might add to that, that this action by the European Community does underscore to the Iranians the extent to which continuing to hold the hostages isolates them in world opinion.