European Council officials said Friday they expect additional European Union sanctions to be placed on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), one day after the European Parliament called for the group to be added to the EU terror list.
In a nonbinding resolution late Thursday, the parliament voted by a large majority to add the IRGC and all its subsidiary forces to the terror list and called on the EU to “expand its sanctions list to cover all individuals and entities — and their family members” in Iran who are responsible for human rights violations.
The action was taken in response to Iran’s ongoing violent crackdown on anti-government protests and subsequent death sentences against and executions of peaceful protesters.
At a news briefing Friday, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Office told reporters EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels Monday are expected to approve further sanctions targeting members of the IRGC. Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Council, the EU’s executive arm.
The resolution also calls for additional sanctions on Iran for its role in providing weapons to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) and surface-to-surface missiles.
The Iranian news agency, IRNA, reports Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Thursday said the resolution was “against international law and the charter of the United Nations.”
From his Twitter account Friday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani responded to the vote by saying the IRGC is “the biggest anti-terrorism organization in the world,” because it works in opposition to Israel — “the world’s largest organized terror entity, the UK regime its founder & the US regime its greatest sponsor.”
IRNA also reported Friday that a top member of Iran’s parliament said it was likely to reciprocate against the European Parliament for its action.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
