EU foreign ministers in Brussels approved new sanctions against Iran, targeting individuals and companies linked to the suppression of protests and Russia’s support for the war in Ukraine. An agreement on including the Revolutionary Guards on the list of terrorists is also expected.
The ministers of foreign affairs of the member states of the European Union approved new sanctions against Iran on Thursday in Brussels. They target individuals and entities that participated in the violent suppression of recent protests in Iran and are involved in supporting Russia in the war in Ukraine. It is expected that the ministers will also reach an agreement on the inclusion of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on the list of terrorist organizations. TASR informs about it according to the reports of the Reuters and DPA agencies.
On the basis of this measure, 30 natural and legal persons are subject to the freezing of assets and the ban on travel. DPA informs that their list of names will be published by the EU soon.
Sanctions against Iran
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the measure also applies to “members of the government, prosecutors, commanders of police units, members of the Revolutionary Guards and those responsible for blocking the Internet.”
The largest demonstrations in Iran since the turn of 2022 and 2023 broke out on December 28 after traders in Tehran staged a protest against rising prices and the collapse of Iran’s rial currency. Subsequently, they intensified and grew into large-scale anti-government demonstrations. Subsequently, on January 8, the government blocked the Internet in the country and telephone calls abroad.
The protests were accompanied by security forces cracking down on demonstrators, with at least 6,200 people killed in the protests, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
In response to these acts of violence, members of the European Parliament and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, called for the official designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. The Elysee Palace announced on Wednesday that it would support their inclusion on the European list of terrorist organizations.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallasová, said before Thursday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels that she expects an agreement to include the Revolutionary Guards on the list of terrorist groups.
