Iran Threatens Retaliation over Sanctions Imposed by EU, Britain

Protesters block a street in Iran. Reuters file photo
Protesters block a street in Iran. Reuters file photo
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Iran Threatens Retaliation over Sanctions Imposed by EU, Britain

Protesters block a street in Iran. Reuters file photo
Protesters block a street in Iran. Reuters file photo

Iran on Tuesday strongly condemned fresh sanctions imposed by the European Union and Britain and said it would retaliate, after the West stepped up pressure on Iran over its crackdown on protests.

Tehran “will soon announce the list of new sanctions against the human rights violators of EU and England," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a statement.

The European Union imposed sanctions on more than 30 Iranian officials and organizations, including units of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), blaming them for a "brutal" crackdown on unrest and other human rights abuses.

Some EU governments and the European Parliament have made clear they want the IRGC as a whole added to the bloc's list of terrorist organizations. But the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, noted that could only happen if a court in an EU country determined the IRGC was guilty of terrorism.

The United States and Britain also issued new sanctions against Iran, reflecting a deterioration in the West's already dire relations with Tehran.

The sanctions are the latest response to Iran's deadly clampdown on unrest after the death of young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody in September.



Sensitive Israeli Documents Obtained by Iran to be Unveiled Soon, Minister Says

Israeli and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Israeli and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Sensitive Israeli Documents Obtained by Iran to be Unveiled Soon, Minister Says

Israeli and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Israeli and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Sensitive Israeli documents obtained by Tehran should be unveiled soon, Minister of Intelligence Esmail Khatib told state TV on Sunday, describing them as a "treasure trove" which will strengthen Iran's offensive capabilities.

Iranian state media reported on Saturday that Iranian intelligence agencies had obtained a large trove of sensitive Israeli documents. Khatib said these were related to Israel's nuclear facilities and its relations with the United States, Europe and other countries, and to its defensive capabilities, Reuters reported.

It was not clear whether the information breach was linked to a reported hacking of an Israeli nuclear research center last year which Tehran is only disclosing now amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program.

"The transfer of this treasure trove was time-consuming and required security measures. Naturally, the transfer methods will remain confidential but the documents should be unveiled soon," Khatib said, adding that in terms of volume, "talking of thousands of documents would be an understatement."

In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli agents had seized a huge "archive" of Iranian documents that showed Tehran had done more nuclear work than previously known.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program. But Trump in April reportedly blocked a planned Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites in favour of negotiating a deal with Tehran.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that abandoning uranium enrichment was "100%" against Iran's interests, rejecting a central US demand in talks to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Western powers say Iran is refining uranium to a high degree of fissile purity close to the level suitable for atomic bomb fuel. Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons.