عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Australia Sanctions Iran’s Revolutionary Guards For Threatening Regional Stability

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles (left) and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong during a meeting in Melbourne (AP)
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles (left) and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong during a meeting in Melbourne (AP)
TT
20
TT

Australia Sanctions Iran’s Revolutionary Guards For Threatening Regional Stability

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles (left) and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong during a meeting in Melbourne (AP)
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles (left) and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong during a meeting in Melbourne (AP)

The Australian government on Tuesday said it is imposing new targeted sanctions on five Iranian individuals and three entities, in response to Iran’s destabilizing behavior in the Middle East.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that the senior officials sanctioned include Iran’s Defense Minister, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, and the Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Qods Force, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, in addition to the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard's contracting arm, Khatam al-Anbiya, Brigadier General Abdol Reza Abed.
The list also includes former defense minister Amir Hatami, managing director of Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries Mehdi Gogerdchian and Major General Gholam Rashid.
“Tuesday’s listings mean the government has now sanctioned 90 Iranian-linked individuals and 100 Iranian-linked entities and are a further demonstration of our commitment to taking strong action against Iran,” the government said.
According to a Foreign Ministry statement, the IRGC is a malignant actor that has long been a threat to international security, and to its own people.
It said the sanctioned include Iranian senior officials, business people and companies that have contributed to the development of Iran’s missile and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) programs.
“Iran’s proliferation and provision of these technologies to its proxies has fostered instability across the region for many years,” the statement added.
Wong pledged that Australia will continue to deliberately and strategically apply pressure on Iran to cease its disruptive activities and adhere to international law.

Most Viewed

 
World

Danish Leader Tells the US ‘You Cannot Annex Another Country’ as She Visits Greenland

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's acting head of government Mute Bourup Egede attend a press conference aboard the Danish Navy inspection vessel Vaedderen, in the waters around Nuuk, Greenland, April 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's acting head of government Mute Bourup Egede attend a press conference aboard the Danish Navy inspection vessel Vaedderen, in the waters around Nuuk, Greenland, April 3, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20
TT

Danish Leader Tells the US ‘You Cannot Annex Another Country’ as She Visits Greenland

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's acting head of government Mute Bourup Egede attend a press conference aboard the Danish Navy inspection vessel Vaedderen, in the waters around Nuuk, Greenland, April 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's acting head of government Mute Bourup Egede attend a press conference aboard the Danish Navy inspection vessel Vaedderen, in the waters around Nuuk, Greenland, April 3, 2025. (Reuters)

Denmark's prime minister has told the US during a visit to Greenland that “you cannot annex another country,” even with the argument that international security is at stake.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said on Friday that Washington will respect Greenland's self-determination and Copenhagen “should focus on the fact that the Greenlanders don’t want to be a part of Denmark.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was wrapping up a three-day visit to the strategically critical Arctic island on Friday as US President Donald Trump seeks control of Greenland. He argues that Greenland, a semiautonomous territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark, is critical to US security.

A week ago, Vice President JD Vance visited a remote US military base in Greenland and accused Denmark of underinvesting in the territory.

Frederiksen pushed back against the US criticism as she spoke on Thursday alongside Greenland's incoming and outgoing leaders on board a Danish naval ship. She argued that Denmark, a NATO ally, has been a reliable friend.

Speaking in English, she said that “if we let ourselves be divided as allies, then we do our foes a favor. And I will do everything that I can to prevent that from happening.”

“When you ask our businesses to invest in the US, they do. When you ask us to spend more on our defense, we do; and when you ask of us to strengthen security in the Arctic, we are on the same page,” she said.

“But when you demand to take over a part of the Kingdom of Denmark’s territory, when we are met by pressure and by threats from our closest ally, what are we to believe in about the country that we have admired for so many years?”

“This is about the world order that we have built together across the Atlantic over generations: you cannot annex another country, not even with an argument about international security,” Frederiksen said.

The Danish leader said that, if the US wants to strengthen security in the Arctic, “let us do so together.”

Political parties in Greenland, which has been leaning toward eventual independence from Denmark for years, last week agreed to form a broad-based new coalition government in the face of Trump's designs on the territory. Those have angered many in Greenland and Denmark.

In an interview with Newsmax on Thursday, Vance repeated the accusation that Denmark has “really underinvested in the infrastructure and security of Greenland.”

He said Trump's point is that “this matters to our security, this matters to our missile defense, and we're going to protect America's interests come hell or high water.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who was attending a meeting in Brussels with his NATO counterparts, wrote on social network X that he had an “honest and direct” meeting Thursday with Rubio.

“I made it crystal clear that claims and statements about annexing Greenland are not only unacceptable and disrespectful,” Løkke Rasmussen wrote. “They amount to a violation of international law.”

Rubio told reporters in Brussels Friday that “no one's annexed anything.” He added that Vance has made clear that “he's going to respect the self-determination of Greenlanders.”

“Denmark should focus on the fact that the Greenlanders don’t want to be a part of Denmark," Rubio said.

“We didn’t give them that idea. They’ve been talking about that for a long time,” he said. "Whenever they make that decision, they’ll make that decision.”

“If they make that decision, then the United States would stand ready, potentially, to step in and say, okay, we can create a partnership with you," Rubio said, adding that "we’re not at that stage.”