EU foreign ministers agreed on new sanctions on Iran in response to the brutal oppression of anti-government protests, officials told dpa on Thursday, as support grows for designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization.
Under the measure, around 30 individuals and entities are sanctioned with asset freezes and travel bans.
“If you are suppressing people, it has a price and you will be also sanctioned for this,” said EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas ahead of the decision.
The names are to be published shortly by the EU, but French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said those targeted include “members of the government, prosecutors, police unit leaders, members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, those responsible for blocking the internet.”
Reports suggest between 3,000 and 10,000 protesters were killed in the violent crackdown on demonstrations that have swept Iran.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Luxemburg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel suggested that up to 30,000 people could have been killed during the wave of violence.
The scale of the brutalities also led to growing support within the EU to designate the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization with a decision by ministers expected today.
After a long blockade, France announced on Wednesday evening that it would support the step demanded by Berlin and some other capitals, which could pave the way for an agreement on the IRGC classification.
“The unbearable oppression that has been unleashed on the peaceful uprising of the Iranian people cannot go unanswered,” Barrot said on Thursday, as he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
“The extraordinary courage of the Iranian women and men who have been the targets of this violence cannot be in vain,” Barrot said in Brussels. “There can be no impunity for the crimes committed.”
Kallas urged the bloc’s foreign ministers to unanimously agree to the designation.
“If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as a terrorist,” Kallas said.
However, the move is considered largely symbolic as the IRGC is already sanctioned by the EU for human rights violations.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that he is “very pleased that many member states have now signalled their support for this listing to finally go ahead” and “very confident that we will reach a joint conclusion on this matter today.”
“This is a success for the people of Iran. It is a success for humanity and it is also a success for the EU as a community of values,” Wadephul said.