Iran nuclear: Firms' asset freeze annulled by EU court 6 September 2013 Last updated at 10:35 The EU's top court has ruled that the EU should unfreeze the assets of seven Iranian banks and other businesses hit by sanctions. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) said there was insufficient evidence that the businesses concerned were involved in nuclear proliferation. Post Bank Iran, Iran Insurance Company and Export Development Bank of Iran are among those listed by the ECJ. EU and US sanctions are aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme. Western powers suspect Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons, so they have frozen the assets of various Iranian businesses thought to be linked to that programme. Iran insists that its nuclear technology is solely intended for civilian uses. Correspondents say the ECJ ruling is a blow to Western efforts to exert pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme. The ruling will not take immediate effect: the EU governments, jointly called the Council, have two months within which to appeal. So for the time being the asset freeze will remain in place, the court said in a statement. The other Iranian businesses that come under Friday's ECJ ruling are: Good Luck Shipping, Persia International Bank, Iranian Offshore Engineering & Construction Co, Bank Refah Kargaran and one individual - Naser Bateni, manager of the Hanseatic Trade Trust & Shipping (HTTS), based in Hamburg. The court found, however, that the asset freezes imposed on Bank Melli Iran and Europaeisch-Iranische Handelsbank were justified. In the case of Bank Melli Iran, the court said the bank had "ensured that scholarships were paid on behalf of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) after restrictive measures had been adopted against AEOI by the United Nations Security Council" - a fact which "constitutes support for nuclear proliferation."