The Council of the EU adopted, on Monday 12 December, new sanctions against Iran, taking measures against 20 individuals and one entity in connection with the suppression of protests, and four individuals and four entities in connection with the supply of drones to Russia.
Condemnation of repression
Among the 20 people sanctioned for the crackdown on the protests are the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army, Major General Sayyed Abdolrahim Mousavi, the Iranian Deputy Interior Minister, responsible for overseeing Iran’s security and police forces, Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mirahmadi, several colonels and brigadier generals as well as officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), “a state-owned broadcasting company notorious for being a regime mouthpiece”.
In its parallel conclusions, the EU Council “strongly” condemns the “widespread, brutal and disproportionate use” of force by the Iranian authorities against peaceful protesters.
Following the execution of a second protester, the ministers call on the Iranian authorities to immediately end the “strongly condemnable” practice of issuing and carrying out death sentences against protesters, to annul “without delay” recent death sentences already pronounced in the context of the ongoing protests, and to provide due process for all detainees.
They also call for an end to “arbitrary detentions as a means of silencing critical voices” and for the release of all those unjustly detained for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
“The EU will continue to hold accountable those responsible for violence and human rights violations (...) and will continue to use all available means to hold the Iranian authorities to account”, the EU Council warns, adding that it will continue to examine any issues of concern, including the Iranian authorities’ handling of the ongoing protests, “taking into account all available options”.
Support for Russia unacceptable
The EU Council also imposed sanctions in connection with Iranian military support for Russia, including deliveries of drones to that country, which it described as “unacceptable”.
It decided to sanction the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organisation (IRGC SSJO), “a research and development unit that develops and manufactures georadars, communication systems, weaponry, combat vehicles and electronic cyberwarfare equipment”, and its commander, Brigadier General Abdollah Mehrabi. Design and Manufacturing of Aircraft Engines (DAMA), which is involved in the research, development and production of Iran’s Shahed-171 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programme of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, is also being targeted, as is Paravar Pars Company, which has produced UAVs, and the Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar Company (Mado), an Iranian-based company specialising in the manufacture of UAV components, and its executive director, Yousef Aboutalebi.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Air Force, Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, and Brigadier General Ali Reza Balali, advisor to the IRGC Aerospace Force Commander, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who has already been sanctioned, are also subject to measures.
“Any transfer of certain combat drones and missiles to or from Iran without prior authorisation by the UN Security Council constitutes a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231”, the ministers said in their conclusions.
“The EU strongly cautions Iran against any new deliveries of weapons to Russia, in particular any steps towards possible transfers of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, which would constitute a serious escalation”, the EU Council warns, adding that it will continue to react to all actions supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine and to hold Iran accountable, including through additional restrictive measures.
According to the High Representative of the Union, during a telephone conversation on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that “Iran has not delivered drones to Russia since the beginning of the war and does not plan to send rockets to Russia”.
The EU Council also warns that it is considering appropriate measures to be taken when Iranian weapons, including drones, are reportedly manufactured with components of international origin, including from Europe.
Pursuing the JCPoA
Furthermore, the High Representative makes a “clear difference” between the nuclear deal and the sanctions. “This does not create the best atmosphere to move forward on any kind of issue, but the nuclear deal is not the EU-Iran relationship” he said, stating that there was no better option than the Iran nuclear deal (JCPoA), even if it was “in a very difficult situation”. According to Mr Borrell, “despite the fact that the escalation of the nuclear programme is very worrying, we must try to revive this agreement”.
In its conclusions, the EU Council recalls the EU’s clear determination that Iran should never develop or acquire nuclear weapons, urging Iran “to reverse its alarming nuclear trajectory, to return to its political commitments in the field of nuclear non-proliferation without further delay, and to resume all JCPoA-related monitoring and verification measures, including its Additional Protocol”.
See the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/4mm
See legal acts related to sanctions: https://aeur.eu/f/4mp (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)