EU Foreign Policy Chief: Europe Has New Decisions Regarding Iran

Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, announced that the European Union will announce new decisions regarding Iran at the upcoming Foreign Ministers' Council meeting next week. She stated that these decisions are in response to the intensification of the crackdown on protests in Iran and recent developments. While speaking in the European Parliament, Kallas referred to widespread demands to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, saying that this issue is 'on the agenda, but not all countries agree.' Since the protests of 2022, many human rights activists and European politicians have called for the IRGC to be placed on the EU's list of terrorist organizations, but no final decision has been made in this regard. The US, Israel, Canada, and Australia have listed the IRGC as a terrorist group. The EU's foreign policy chief described the crackdown on protests in Iran as 'unprecedented,' stating that the Iranian government has responded to citizens' demands with batons and bullets, and has cut off communications and the internet to cover up its actions. Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wrote in a message on X (formerly Twitter) that the EU stands in 'full solidarity with the brave men and women of Iran,' who she said risk their lives for their freedom and that of future generations. Von der Leyen noted that the EU has already imposed extensive sanctions against Iran due to human rights violations, the advancement of its nuclear program, and the Islamic Republic's support for Russia's war against Ukraine. She also announced that she and Kaja Kallas are preparing a new package of sanctions in response to the continued violent crackdown on protesters by the Iranian government. The President of the European Commission added that the EU has proposed banning the export of critical technologies related to drones and missiles to Iran. In the European Parliament, louder voices are being heard. Charlie Weimers, a Swedish representative in the European Parliament, stated, 'While the courage of the Iranian people has ignited the streets, the EU must also respond with decisive and courageous action at the level of this resistance.' He called for the declaration of the 'illegitimacy of the Islamic Republic regime,' the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization, the full implementation of oil sanctions against Iran similar to those against Russian oil, the confiscation of Iranian government assets in Europe, the closure of Islamic Republic embassies, and the confrontation of the regime's propaganda networks. Amid increasing speculation about new EU decisions regarding Iran, the Israeli Foreign Minister also called for the IRGC to be designated as a terrorist organization in a message to the President of the European Commission, emphasizing that the EU is well aware of this entity's role in the deadly suppression of protests in Iran and the spread of terror in the Middle East and beyond. Donald Trump: The military option regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran has not been ruled out. European representatives stood for a minute to cheer the protesting people of Iran instead of remaining silent.