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Germany, Other EU Members Plan to Expand Iran Sanctions

05 November 2022, Spain, Barcelona: A woman takes part in a demonstration over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in Iran after being detained for allegedly not wearing a head scarf (hijab) "properly'' in public. (dpa)
05 November 2022, Spain, Barcelona: A woman takes part in a demonstration over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in Iran after being detained for allegedly not wearing a head scarf (hijab) "properly'' in public. (dpa)
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Germany, Other EU Members Plan to Expand Iran Sanctions

05 November 2022, Spain, Barcelona: A woman takes part in a demonstration over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in Iran after being detained for allegedly not wearing a head scarf (hijab) "properly'' in public. (dpa)
05 November 2022, Spain, Barcelona: A woman takes part in a demonstration over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in Iran after being detained for allegedly not wearing a head scarf (hijab) "properly'' in public. (dpa)

Germany and eight other EU member states are planning to expand sanctions on Iran to include individuals and organizations linked to violence against protesters in the country, magazine Der Spiegel reported, without disclosing its sources.

A package containing 31 proposals was introduced in Brussels on Wednesday targeting individuals and institutions in the security sector as well as companies responsible for suppression in Iran, the magazine reported.

Measures include the freezing of assets and travel bans, the magazine said, adding the package had a good chance of being approved by EU foreign ministers at their next meeting on Nov. 14.

The German government had no immediate comment.

Ties between Tehran and the West are increasingly strained as Iranians keep up anti-government protests.

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations, wrapping up two days of talks in the historic western German city of Muenster, released a joint statement asserting common positions on Ukraine, Russia, China and recent developments in Iran and North Korea.

The G7 is made up of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

The ministers called out Iran for allegedly supplying weapons including drones to Russia and for a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.

They condemned Iran's “brutal and disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters and children”, as well as Tehran's “continued destabilizing activities in and around the Middle East.”

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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an invasion from the mainland.
The island’s navy highlighted its Kuang Hua VI fast attack missile boats and Tuo Chiang-class corvettes in waters near Taiwan’s largest port of Kaohsiung, a major hub for international trade considered key to resupplying Chinese forces should they establish a beachhead on the island.
The Kuang Hua VI boats, with a crew of 19, carry indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles and displayed their ability to take to the sea in an emergency to intercept enemy ships about to cross the 44-kilometer (24-nautical mile) limit of Taiwan’s contiguous zone, within which governments are permitted to take defensive action.
China routinely sends ships and planes to challenge Taiwan’s willingness and ability to counter intruders, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets, activate missile systems and dispatch warships. Taiwan demanded on Wednesday that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said is undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupting international shipping and trade.
Mountainous Taiwan's strategy is to counter the much larger Chinese military with a relatively flexible defense that can prevent Chinese troops from crossing the strait. Landing sites are few on Taiwan's west coast facing China, forcing Beijing to focus on the east coast.
Hsiao Shun-ming, captain of a Tuo Chiang-class corvette, said his ship’s relatively small size still allows it to “deliver a formidable competitive power” against larger Chinese ships. The Tuo Chiang has a catamaran design and boasts high speeds and considerable stealth ability.
Taiwan has in recent years reinvigorated its domestic defense industry, although it still relies heavily on US technology such as upgraded fighter jets, missiles, tanks and detection equipment. US law requires it to consider threats to the island as matters of “grave concern,” and American and allied forces are expected to be a major factor in any conflict.
Thursday's exercise “demonstrates the effectiveness of asymmetric warfare, and Taiwan’s commitment to defense self-reliance,” said Chen Ming-feng, rear admiral and commander of the navy’s 192 Fleet specializing in mine detection. “We are always ready to respond quickly and can handle any kind of maritime situation.”
China's authoritarian one-party Communist government has refused almost all communication with Taiwan's pro-independence governments since 2016, and some in Washington and elsewhere say Beijing is growing closer to taking military action.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de facto independence and democratic status.