The European Parliament (EP) banned diplomats from Iran and other representatives of the Islamic Republic from entering all its premises in response to the Tehran regime’s crackdown on protesters. The measure was announced on Monday by EP President Roberta Metsolová in a letter addressed to MEPs and later in a post on the X social network, reports TASR.
- The European Parliament banned Iranian diplomats from entering its premises.
- The ban applies to EP seats in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg.
- The measure is a response to the Iranian regime’s crackdown on protesters.
- The protests in Iran were sparked by the fall in the value of the rial, and they affected the entire country.
- The EU is considering new sanctions against representatives of the Iranian regime.
The ban applies to all EP buildings in Brussels and Strasbourg, where the main deliberations take place, as well as the parliament’s secretariat in Luxembourg. In practice, this means that people with Iranian passports will be subject to checks upon entry, and those with proven links to the Iranian regime will be immediately denied entry, Politico reported. “Iranians can continue to count on this parliament for support, solidarity and action,” wrote Metsolová in a letter.
EP according to her “will not help legitimize this regime, which is maintained through torture, repression and murder”. It was Metsolová who was the first of the highest representatives of the European Union to publicly defend the demonstrators in Iran.
The decision comes at a time of growing international outrage over the actions of Iranian security forces against mass protests that have already for more than two weeks, they have been going on all over the country and, according to available information, they have claimed hundreds of victims.
The head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, in response to the latest developments for the Politico portal, stated that is ready to propose new EU sanctions against representatives of the Iranian regime.
The current wave of demonstrations was triggered by a sharp drop in the value of the Iranian rial. The protests began on December 28 among retailers in the capital Tehran and then spread to other areas of the Islamic Republic. Student organizations, which played a significant role in protest movements in the past, also joined the demonstrations.
