The EU has approved a new set of sanctions against Iran in response to the latter's harsh crackdown on protests against the regime's political repression and alleged human rights violations.
In an official statement, the European Council claimed to have added "29 individuals and three entities to those facing restrictive measures in view of their role in the death of Mahsa Amini and the violent response to the recent demonstrations in Iran".
The Iranian protests were sparked by the 16 September death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who was allegedly beaten to death after being arrested for wearing her hijab incorrectly. Since then, 304 Iranians have been killed and more than 15,000 arrested, according to the UN Human Rights Council.
"This is a clear message for those who think they can oppress, intimidate and kill their own people without consequences," tweeted German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. "They can't. The world [and] Europe [are] watching."
Die Europäische Union sendet heute ein erneutes, unmissverständliches Signal an das iranische Regime in #Teheran: #Menschenrechte sind unteilbar. 1/3
— Außenministerin Annalena Baerbock (@ABaerbock) November 14, 2022
Last week, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, tweeted that Iran's response to any potential sanctions would be "proportionate and firm". He also suggested that any restrictive measures would be "provocative, interventionist and undiplomatic".
The sanctioned individuals will no longer be allowed to travel to the EU and their assets within the bloc will be frozen indefinitely. The EU claims that the new array of sanctions means that a total of 126 individuals and 11 entities in Iran are subject to EU restrictions for human rights violations.
A broader set of concerns
The sanctions come at a time of increasing concern within the EU about Iran's broader role in world affairs.
As Western anxiety grows on the issue of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme and apparent desire to acquire nuclear weapons, the EU has become increasingly concerned about Iran's sale of military drones to Russia as the latter struggles to win its war in Ukraine.
Related News
- Iran promises 'firm' response to any new EU sanctions
- Iran admits to having previously sent drones to Russia
In a press conference on Monday, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, stated the EU Member States "insist [that] Iran stop providing arms that Russia is using to commit atrocities against the Ukrainian people". He added that the drone sales — for which the EU introduced sanctions against Iran last month — are a "clear violation" of UN Security Council resolutions.
"We have already adopted sanctions in this regard weeks ago and we will take further steps if needed," Borrell warned.
