EU Slaps New Sanctions on Iran

EU Headquarters in Brussels (File photo: Reuters)
EU Headquarters in Brussels (File photo: Reuters)
TT

EU Slaps New Sanctions on Iran

EU Headquarters in Brussels (File photo: Reuters)
EU Headquarters in Brussels (File photo: Reuters)

The European Union on Monday imposed new sanctions on Iran, targeting five officials and two entities for their role in the violent crackdown on mass protests in Iran.

The European Council said that the new sanctions targeted an Iranian official in charge of enforcing the laws of wearing the veil and the Student Basij Organization (SBO), which acts as the IRGC's violent enforcers on university campuses.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said before announcing the sanctions that the EU will not accept the human rights violations in Iran.

Baerbock said the enforced hijab means that women's rights in Iran are still not respected, according to the German news agency.

Regarding the new sanctions, the minister said that other people responsible for human rights violations would be included on the sanctions list, especially from the IRGC.

The Council announced that it would also list the IRGC Cooperative Foundation, which is responsible for managing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' investments and funneling money into the regime's brutal repression.

The new listings include the current commander of the Tehran Police Relief Unit of Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (LEF).

The new sanctions include an asset freeze, a travel ban to the EU, and a prohibition on making funds or economic resources available to those listed. A ban on exports to Iran of equipment that might be used for internal repression and equipment for monitoring telecommunications is also in place.

EU's restrictive measures now apply to 216 individuals and 37 entities.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International called on Iran to immediately halt its public execution of two Afghans convicted of "armed rebellion."

In a statement, the organization expressed concern after judicial authorities in Fars province announced that the two would be executed soon in Shiraz.

Iranian state media said they were convicted of an armed attack in Shiraz on October 26, 2022.

Amnesty said all countries should condemn the Iranian authorities' appalling use of the death penalty in the strongest possible terms.

The Human Rights Organization in Iran reported last Friday that the judicial authorities executed three protesters in Isfahan Central Prison, which was met with widespread international condemnation.

Iran witnessed protests across the country following the death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, who died in September last year.



Iran Will Never Give Up on its Missile Program, Says President

An Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)
An Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)
TT

Iran Will Never Give Up on its Missile Program, Says President

An Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)
An Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. (Reuters)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Tehran would never give up on its missile program as it needs such deterrence for its security in a region where Iran's arch-foe Israel is able to "drop missiles on Gaza every day".

Iran has for years defied Western calls to limit its missile program.

The United States and its allies have more recently accused Iran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, imposing fresh sanctions on Moscow and Tehran.

Both countries have denied the claims.

"If we don’t have missiles, they will bomb us whenever they want, just like in Gaza," Pezeshkian said, referring to the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

He reiterated Tehran's official stance, calling on the international community "to first disarm Israel before making the same demands to Iran".

The president also said his country could hold direct talks with the United States if Washington demonstrates "in practice" that it is not hostile to the Islamic Republic.
This came in response to a question during the news conference in Tehran on whether Tehran would be open to direct talks with the US to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.
Former US president Donald Trump reneged on that deal in 2018, arguing it was too generous to Tehran, and restored harsh US sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to gradually violate the agreement's nuclear limits.
"We are not hostile towards the US, they should end their hostility towards us by showing their goodwill in practice," said Pezeshkian, adding: "We are brothers with the Americans as well."
After taking office in January 2021, US President Joe Biden tried to negotiate a revival of the nuclear pact under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program in return for relief from US, European Union and UN sanctions.
However, Tehran refused to directly negotiate with Washington and worked mainly through European or Arab intermediaries.

On Russia, the Iranian president affirmed that his government had not transferred any weapons to Russia since it took office in August, after Western powers accused Tehran of delivering ballistic missiles to Moscow in September.
The United States and its allies accused Iran last week of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, imposing fresh sanctions on Moscow and Tehran.
Russia and Iran both denied the Western claims.
Asked whether Iran had transferred missiles to Russia, Pezeshkian said: "It is possible that a delivery took place in the past... but I can assure you that since I took office, there has not been any such delivery to Russia."
Reuters reported in February that Iran had provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, deepening the military cooperation between the two US-sanctioned countries.