ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The European Union on Monday prepared a new package of sanctions against Iran over the regime’s crackdown on protests and the alleged use of Iranian drones by Russia in its widely-condemned war against neighboring Ukraine.
The EU sanctioned Iran’s morality police, information minister, and the cyber division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for their role in the violent crackdown of nationwide protests stemming from the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in detention of the morality police in Tehran, according to their official journal.
“According to reliable reports and witnesses, she was brutally beaten and mistreated in custody, which led to her hospitalization and death on 16 September 2022,” the EU statement said.
The sanctions came after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted urging the EU to “impose sanctions on Iran for providing Russia with drones,” with Kyiv regularly accusing Moscow of using Tehran’s drones to target its military and key infrastructure.
Iran vowed to “immediately” respond to the sanctions and accused the EU of “interventionist” behavior while reiterating its rejection of supplying Russia with “any weapons” in its invasion of Ukraine.
“If they initiate new sanctions, this action is definitely unconstructive and irrational,” foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in his weekly press conference.
The EU declaration also “called on the Iranian authorities to ensure transparent and credible investigations to clarify the number of deaths and arrested, release all non-violent protestors and provide due process to all detainees.”
Ahead of the sanctions announcement, EU foreign ministers met to discuss taking measures against Tehran. The sanctions will also likely hinder efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“It is a pity because we were very very close … the world would be much more secure[with the JCPOA],” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrel said, adding that the negotiations between Iran and the West are not expected to resume anytime soon.
Iran and world powers have been seeking a return to the landmark nuclear deal that heavily curbed Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for much-needed relief from biting sanctions. Since former US president Donald Trump unilaterally backed out of the deal in 2018, the Islamic republic has rapidly advanced its nuclear program, sparking concerns it is seeking to develop an atomic bomb.
While a deal looked close in August following a proposed EU “final” text, the initiation of protests in Iran after Amini’s death and the subsequent harsh crackdown by Iranian security forces have led to many packages of hard-hitting sanctions against Tehran, which in turn increasingly complicate a potential revival.
The EU’s sanctioning of Iran’s morality police follows the footsteps of the US, UK, and Canada who took the same measures previously in response to the Islamic republic’s violent suppression of protests.
At least 215 people, including 27 children, have been killed since nationwide protests erupted in Iran over five weeks ago, the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization (IHR) reported on Monday.
