EU approves new sanctions against Iran over repression and military support for Russia

The Council of the EU has decided to impose additional restrictive measures against Iran over serious human rights violations in the country and the continued military support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

An additional 15 individuals and six legal entities responsible for the violent suppression of peaceful protests in Iran have been added to the sanctions list.

Those listed include Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, as well as a number of commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and senior police officers.

All of them were involved in the brutal suppression of peaceful protests and the arbitrary arrest of political activists and human rights defenders.

Among the organisations included in the sanctions list are the Iranian Audio-Visual Media Regulatory Authority (SATRA), Seraj Cyberspace Organisation and several software development companies.

Iran's military support for Russia's war against Ukraine continues to pose a direct threat to EU security; therefore, the Council of the EU has also imposed restrictive measures on four individuals and six organisations linked to missile and drone development programmes.

These include Khojir Missile Development and Production, a leading organisation in Iran's ballistic missile programme, and Sahara Thunder, an Iranian import-export trading company acting as a front company for Iran's Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics.

The individuals added to the list include businesspeople, chief executives and shareholders of private companies involved in the development and production of Iranian ballistic missiles and therefore linked to Iran's missile or UAV programmes.

In addition, the Council of the EU expanded the ban on exports to Iran of components and technologies used in the production of drones and missiles. This covers electronics, computers, sensors, navigation equipment and specialised materials.

The scale of the crackdown on protests in Iran has also led to growing support within the EU for recognising Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.

After a prolonged blockade, France announced on Wednesday evening that it would support the step demanded by Berlin and several other EU capitals.

On 28 January, EU ambassadors gave the green light to sanctions against Iran over the brutal suppression of protests.